Chapter 19: Hero part 02

As the duel was about to commence Chazz spoke briefly,

" we'll start in alphabetical order meaning I go first, the slacker second, finally you and so forth."

Jaden couldn't help but state.

" thanks for remembering who I am….."

At that Chazz gave Jaden a pointed look before addressing " Lana".

" do you have any objections?"

"Lana's" only response was.

' no'

' duel!' was uttered across the nature arena as the duel disc properly activated.

Chazz: 4000 – Jaden: 4000 – "Lana": 4000

Chazz was the first to draw as he played Ojama Yellow in defense mode and two face downs with him ending the move right there and then.

Ojama Yellow (0/1000)

' lost your nerves?'

Chazz scoffed while Jaden took his turn.

" only an idiot rushes straight into battle without preparing."

With that Jaden summoned two of his favorite monsters to rhe field Avion and Burstinatrix in attack mode as he commanded them to target "Lana".

" please tell me you're not this stupid…."

Before Jaden could respond Chazz's outburst became worst.

" what kind of an idiot declares an attack without setting traps or magic cards?"

Jaden sighed.

" the kind that remembered what Alexis said about dragging this duel out…"

Annoyed Chazz excused himself the dueling opponent as he vented.

" winning fast is one thing but c'mon use your head because I don't need to remind you that our souls are on the line!….."

"Lana" corrected Chazz.

' not your souls, only your life force.'

Chazz only reply was.

" well thank you… that makes me feel so much better…"

Jaden at this point asked meekly.

" can we return back to the game now?"

Chazz reluctantly agreed as Jaden finished his turn not attacking the opponent while "Lana" placed three cards facedown in defense mode and four cards facedown as she said.

' I end my turn, back to you weirdo.'

Chazz insulted by that remark thinking to himself.

' weirdo?!….. who the hell does she thinks she is…..?!'

Jaden tried his best to stifle his laugh while Chazz glared daggers at him as the former could only say.

" you have to admit it is kind of true."

Sighing Chazz chose to ignore that comment as he made his next move.

" I summon Armed Dragon level 5 to the field in attack mode."

Armed Dragon level 5 ( 2400/1700 )

" are you sure you don't want it in defense mode?"

Chazz shot him a dirty look before he ordered the first attack of the duel on his opponent's far left monster before "Lana" flipped it in attack mode revealing it to be Rocket Warrior which made the former cancel his attack.

Rocket Warrior (1500/1000).

" I assume there's a reason you had second guesses?"

Chazz responded as follows.

" two, Rocket Warrior can cancel battle damage and he can take away 500 attack points from the monster who destroyed him."

Jaden nodded in amazement as Chazz pointed out.

" don't tell me you didn't know that…"

Jaden gave a sheepish smile.

" in my defense we don't see much of Rocket Warrior in pro dueling anymore, unless you're Joey Wheeler."

With that said and done Chazz acknowledged that point before he reluctantly forfeited the attack as he let Jaden take the lead. With that Jaden drew before he played Polymerization to fuse Burtinatrix on his field and Clayman in his hand creating Rampart Blaster in defense mode.

Elemental Hero Rampart Blaster ( 2000/2500).

without skipping a bit Jaden informed "Lana".

" whenever Rampart is in defense mode you get a direct attack aiming at you at the tune of a 1000 life points."

" Lana excepted her fate without too much of a struggle as Chazz admitted that Jaden pulled a brilliant move.

Chazz: 4000 – Jaden: 4000 – "Lana": 4000 → 3000

With that " Lana" took her turn as the dueling continued for several turns without anyone taking a clear advantage with her playing Scapegoat while also managing to get rid of Rampart and Armed Dragon level 5 Jaden and Chazz had little to defend themselves except the facedown cards as both players thinking.

' please don't let it get worse…'

With that said and done " Lana's" turn came and went by placing one card as a facedown before setting three monsters, three copies of Chthonian Soldier, the first in attack mode while the other two were kept in defense, as the two duelist threw their heads into the air quietly and sarcastically saying.

' thanks…..'

Chthonian Soldier ( 1200/1400) . Chthonian Soldier (1200/1400) x 2

' from your expressions I assume you know all about my current monsters in formation.'

Chazz replied.

" you assumed correctly."

With that the battle continued as "Lana" played a spell to increase her monster's attack by the power of the other two as Jaden muttered.

" please tell me you can counter those…"

Chazz's only reply was.

" working on it…."

Jaden said at that.

" work faster…."

Chazz rolled his eyes before he drew the following card, Pot of Greed, using it the level duelist drew two more cards chief among them was Ojama delta hurricaine.

" you know what my nickname was in prep school?"

"Lana" made no attempts at guessing.

" they called me the prince of thunder!"

Catching his drift Jaden allowed Chazz to summon the three Ojama brothers, Yellow, Black and Green to the field before he activated this.

" from my hand I play Ojama delta hurricane!"

like the name suggested the three brothers turned into a hurricane of colors while clearing

"Lana's" field completely.

"Lana didn't respond to what happened to her side of the field while she waited for Jaden to make his move, drawing his next card, he had Wild Heart in his hand at the moment, Fusion gate, Winged Kurriboh and Transcended Wings for a hand at the moment as he thought.

' not my best hand but not the worst either….'

" From my hand I play Wild Heart in attack mode while I place my pal Kurriboh in defense mode and place one card facedown."

As the sequence of events happened as he described Jaden prepared to launch an attack with Wild Heart.

Elemental Hero Wild Heart (1500/1600), Winged Kurriboh (200/300)

Just as Jaden was ready to announce his attack " Lana" woke up from the dead as she played the following card.

' I activate the spell Turn Jump from my hand.'

Jaden sounded worried when he asked.

" how many turns are we skipping?"

" Lana" answered as follows

' three for each player.'

Jaden at that hummed.

" that doesn't sound….."

At that he made a realization.

" since we have three players that means that we're skipping our turns nine times."

Annoyed at the prospect the duo had to agree to skip nine turns in which none of them could even draw. After the ordeal was over Jaden continued with his attack.

Chazz: 4000 – Jaden: 4000 – "Lana": 30001500.

With that said and done Jaden ended the turn as " Lana" played Pot Of Greed drawing two cards while placing one monster facedown in defense mode while she slotted two facedown in the spell and trap card zone.

' I end my turn.'

Chazz got a little wary at that development since one thing is for sure, " Lana's" tactics were deceptively simple, even though he decided that enough is enough as he filled the conditions to play Light and Darkness dragon in attack mode.

Light and Darkness dragon (2800/2400)

Chazz at that immediately went on the offensive while " Lana" activated the spell card Negate Attack bringing the turn to an end.

" I draw…."

Jaden at that took a look at his card to be met with Yubel to which he decided to save for later as he decided to end his turn early, Letting "Lana" play.

' I flip open my summoned Skull and attach ring of destruction to it.'

Summoned Skull (2500/1500)

with that the too familiar ring attached to the monster destroying it while taking a huge chunk of life points from Jaden and Chazz?

Chazz: 4000 – 1500Jaden: 4000 – 1500 "Lana": 1500.

" how come you didn't lose life points?"

Jaden surprised everyone as he stated.

" you used Ring of Defense at the very last second didn't you?!"

"Lana" confirmed his suspicion as yet again took a look at his Yubel card thinking.

' it's now or never… are you ready?….'

Yubel gave a nod from her artwork while "Lana" ended her turn as it reverted back to Chazz.

" slacker….. don't mess this up."

Jaden at that acknowledged.

" same to you neighbor."

Chazz at this point took his turn as he revived Armed Dragon level 5 while also beefing up his defenses before and trying to clear "Lana's" field. Jaden having his turn next summoned Necroshade only to summon Yubel next and using him asa sacrifice so that Yubel whould stay on the field for as long as possible, speaking of field Alexis stood guard with her deck and duel disc at the ready.

" guys…. So far so quiet but you might want to speed things up a bit…"

Jaden just nodded saying.

" got you….."

With that said and done Jaden placed two face downs on his field before the duel continued to be dragged to the point of ridiculousness. With this said and done the duel continued on for a few more turns as the figure of " Echo" kept watch from a distance as the voice of Nightshroud was heard.

' wait for the perfect opportunity to strike and then, drain their energies….. leave no one alive if necessary….'

"Echo" replied back.

' consider it done.'

unbeknownst to her Alexis kept a close eye on the proceedings meaning that a sneak attack wouldn't be this easy or would it since the girl could make out vauge shapes that clearly weren't there a minute ago.

" guys… time to wrap this up…. We're about to have company….."

Jaden in turn asked.

" Nightshroud?!"

To his surprise "Lana" was the one to answer.

' no, it's the girl calling herself Echo.'

Jaden and Chazz at this moment felt a chill running down their spines as an unpleasant thought crept into their head.

' Adrian…..'

However at this point and time it wasn't either Jaden's or Chazz's turn as "Lana" summoned to their Surprise Flame Swordsman to the field in attack mode.

Flame Swordsman (1800/1600)

What was more surprising is the fact that she waged a direct attack against Chazz's Light and Darkness Dragon until she played her facedown Draining shield.

Chazz: 1500 – Jaden: 1500 – "Lana": 15002500.

As she ended her turn and Chazz was about to begin his Jaden caught for a brief second what appeared to be a sneak attack as he declared while activating his own negate attack.

" everyone take cover!…"

Duel: Discontinued.

As Chazz, Jaden and Alexis managed to survive the attack with minor injuries " Lana" wasn't so lucky as the wounded and unconscious opponent was carried off by Nighshroud back to his domain while a few "agents" and Echo stood in the way of the three in question.

" listen I figured Nightshroud for a jerk but never a coward."

"Echo" simply replied with.

' the master simply wishes for you to save your strength for when you actually face him.'

Jaden at that responded with a comment laced with sarcasm.

" how considerate of him…."

Before anything else could happen Jaden told Alexis and Chazz the following under his breath.

" keep this guys busy while I go after her before she disappears."

Chazz nodded silently as Alexis replied just as quietly.

" we've got your back."

As if on cue the " agents" in question attacked as Jaden made a run for it making it to " Echo" just as she was teleporting back. With Jaden and "Echo" both landing within Nightshroud's domain the former made the following comment.

" well isn't that stylish, nothing but black and a whole swirl of grays….."

" Echo" didn't play around as she summoned both a Harpie and an Amazoness Tiger to keep him from trying to move any further.

" hey…. What's the big idea…!?"

"Echo" simply replied with.

' you will see the master only when he summons for you.'

Jaden at that raised his right eyebrow in both curiosity and surprise as he stated what seemed to him like the obvious.

" since when is Nightshroud your master?, I thought you were devoted to Adrian….."

At that he got both scared and surprised as " Echo" almost took his head off.

' don't mention that fool's name again…"

Jaden, keeping his cool and guard up, simply asked.

" oh yeah?!, what makes him a fool to begin with?!"

"Echo couldn't help but express her " disappointment" and grievance with Adrian Gecko.. Listening to hers and Adrian's backstory Jaden couldn't help by pointing out the following.

" did you ever consider he found something fulfilling in his life?, as in maybe a better purpose than being a snob?".

With that Echo concluded the conversation with.

' he spouted that same nonsense himself… very well, you may share his fate as well.'

With that " Echo summoned a few more harpies to attack Jaden head on however this time he was definitely prepared.

" so Harpies and Amazons huh?, classy cards for a classy lady."

That compliment went over her head as she shouted the following

' duel!'

Jaden: 4000 – "Echo": 4000

As both of them drew a full hand Jaden decided to lay all his cards on the table as he stated.

" so I get why you're angry with Adrian for wasting his potential but you're now serving a master that would throw you to the wolves once you no longer have any use for you."

As the duel officially began Jaden was magnanimously allowed to go first as he built a good defense with both Winged Kurriboh and Clayman in defense with four face downs laid on the field.

Winged Kurriboh (200/300), Elemental Hero Clayman (800/2000)

' that's an apt statement by the way.'

A bit confused Jaden asked.

" I'm sorry I don't follow."

"Echo" clarrified.

' throwing someone to the wolves, that's from ancient Greece.'

tipping his head to her Jaden replied.

" thank you, I didn't know that."

"Echo" did not respond as she instead played a combo of both Harpie Queen which was sent to the grave in order to get Harpie's Hunting ground which she played immediately.

' do you know what this card does?'

Jaden responded with.

" I'm sure it won't give me life points for every Harpie you have in the field or deck."

"Echo" allowed herself a cruel smirk saying.

' for every Lady Harpie sister I summon you're going to lose a trap/spell cards.'

Jaden gulped a bit.

" why it had to be that…."

With that statement out of the way "Echo" filled the rest of her monster slots with three Harpie sisters as she destroyed Jaden's face downs from left to right destroying a few of the hero duelist's spells and traps, chief among them being transcended wings and just when he thought it couldn't get any worse his opponent played the following card.

' I play Gorgon's eye, care to guess what that little trap does?'

Jaden hasn't said a word as his monsters got petrified. Following that "Echo" discarded five copies of Lamia from her deck as she declared while summoning the following monster while sacrificing a couple of Harpies.

' I summon Prometheus, king of shadows and thanks to his special effect, every dark monster I destroy he gets a 400 point boost.'

Prometheus, king of shadows (1200→3200/800).

Thankfully for Jaden Echo couldn't declare an attack this turn as Jaden drew the following card, Pot of Greed which he used to draw two cards which were, Ring of Destruction and Elemental Hero Wildheart to which he smirked.

' what's so funny?!'

Jaden in turn reacted as followed.

" why don't I show you?."

Jaden at this played the following move, activating Ring of Destruction destroying Echo's Prometheus, then following that up by summoning Wildheart and then activating the card that wasn't destroyed, Emergency provisions as he discarded one card in his hand to regain a thousand life points.

Jaden: 4000 – 800 "Echo": 4000 – 800

Elemental Hero Wildheart (1500/1600)

Jaden: 800 – 1800 "Echo": 4000 – 800

Satisfied Jaden concluded his turn by saying.

" I think I did enough damage for now, your turn."

Echo at that wordlessly continued the duel as she used Emergency provisions as well to give herself a boost only she decided to discard two cards.

Jaden: 1800 "Echo": 800– 2800.

After that move was concluded "Echo" switched focus from using her Harpies to using Amazoness monsters as she gave tribute a couple more of her current monsters in order to summon the following, Amazoness queen in attack mode followed closely by Amazoness Paladin.

Amazoness queen (2400/1800)

Amazoness Paladin (1700/300)

' but why be done here?, I fuse the two monsters on my field to summon Amazoness Empress.'

As the two monsters in question disappeared into the fusion vortex the combined result emerged on the field as Echo gave the order to attack the petrified Clayman.

Jaden: 1800– 1000.

Amazoness Empress (2800/2400)

Feeling the sharp pain Jaden asked through gritted teeth.

" piercing damage?"

Echo simply nodded.

'observant for a mere Slifer.'

Jaden at that ignored the comment as his vision began to blur a bit, as he felt the side effects of prolonged exposure to shadow duels he knew that his next draw would have to count. As Jaden drew he got his answer while summoning Yubel to the field in defense mode.

Yubel (0/0)

"Echo" knew of Yubel's abilities so she refrained from attacking the monster until she had a full proof way to get rid of her which gave Jaden in turn a few turns to take a deep breath until he had a winning combo in his hand and wouldn't you know it that combo was, Polymerization, Elemental hero Avion, Elemental Hero Burstinatrix and Skyscraper.

" well it's been a fun duel but I think we should end it now."

"Echo" gave him a veiled threat.

' don't pretend like you have a chance at winning this duel.'

Jaden at this point just gave a confident smirk.

" who said anything about pretending?"

Before "Echo" could respond back Jaden has already begun to make his move.

" first I fuse Avion and Burstinatrix to summon to the field, the one and only Elemental Hero Flame Wingman."

on cue the two heroes appeared on the field only to warp and melt together as Jaden's ace monster appeared on the field in attack mode.

Elemental hero Flame Wingman (2100/1200).

"continuing on I'm changing the scenery by playing Skyscraper."

Out of the dark color scheme a small downtown area of a major metropolitan city emerged with Wingman perching himself atop the highest skyscraper erected.

" I trust you know what this card does."

"Echo" remained silent, clearly focusing on trying to find a card in her hand that would tip the favors back to her side as Jaden continues.

" if I pit Wingman against a stronger monster with Skyscraper in place then Wingman gets a strength boost of 1000 points."

Elemental hero Flame Wingman (2100→3100/1200)

" Flame Wingman, attack her Amazoness Empress."

With that the attack went through with ease as Wingman scorched the Empress in question.

"Echo": 2800– 2500.

Just as "Echo" thought she could regain her footing after that loss of life points Jaden pointed out the following.

" you still have to deal with Wingman's effect, you take damage equal to your monster's attack points.

Wingman at that repositioned himself to face "Echo" face to face as he unleashed a torrent of flames on her, for all tense and purposes ending the duel.

"Echo": 2500– 0.

As the duel ended the field cleared as a motionless Echo laid on the floor seemingly unresponsive as Jaden himself dropped onto one knee as Yubel was the only monster that decided to physically manifest.

"Jaden….."

Jaden reassured her by saying.

" I'm fine….. just a bit winded but…"

Jaden motioned Yubel to take a look at Echo as he said.

" make sure she's safe and sound."

An undetermined amount of time passed before Echo opened her eyes, groggy from the experience.

" what happened….. one moment I'm waiting next to the private jet…. And the next….."

Sympathetic Jaden replied with.

" I'll explain later but for now I need to find Nightshroud and "Lana"."

with that said and done the two of them almost collapsed as a dark and psychotic laugh filled the room.

' ask and I'll appear my king…'

Jaden focused on Nightshroud as he instinctively went to protect Echo as Nightshroud smirked.

' keep the woman but leave the soul card to me.'

As the two continued their back and forth Echo regained consciousness just enough to fish out a short circuit card.

" where's cousin Lana Nightshroud?, answers… now!"

Nightshroud responded with humor.

' no offense but you're not scary at all.'

undeterred Jaden stared Nightshroud dead in the eyes. Nightshroud in turn never lost his humorous tone stating.

' alright I'll give you an A for effort how's that sounds?'

Jaden wasn't having any of it.

" bring cousin Lana over here now!….."

Nightshroud lost the humor in his voice.

' mind your tone or have you forgotten who's the master of this domain?'

With that the two began a back and forth with eventually Nightshroud reaching for the darkness that created his minions with Lana being returned for the group as a gesture that said villain in question was done with her.

" please tell me you have an exit strategy"

With that Yubel managed to disappear out of sight as Nightshroud began searching for them only for the monster to mask their presence completely as they waited for him to unwittingly provide them a way out. Once he opened a portal back to earth, a groggy Echo threw the short circuit card stating.

" that's for making me betray…. Adrian…."

As she threw the card the explosion it created rattled Nightshroud for a bit, giving Jaden enough time to teleport back on the island, luckily for him and the rest, Alexis still waited for them and with that they were making it back to the infirmary.

" hey Jay….."

Jaden however interrupted.

" it's too early for thank yous Alexis."

Understanding where he came from Alexis just nodded as eventually Chazz gave a helping hand as well while Echo and Lana made it to the infirmary for treatment.

The infirmary, a little while later.

Echo was the forst of the new arrivals to recover as she tried to walk the grounds when she was met with an already patrolling Jaden.

" did Fontaine clear you yet?!"

Echo sighed.

" no, no yet anyway…."

Jaden at that responded.

" then rest some more, we'll need all the help we can get to battle Nightshroud."

Echo asked bluntly.

" why are you being nice or concerned about me?"

Jaden returned the favor by replying.

" because that's what Adrian asked me to do."

At that Echo adopted a stoic expression but it was obvious that the thought about Adrian hurt her on the inside a little, speaking of hurt…

Back in Nightshroud's domain.

The demonic entity was currently licking his wounds after suffering that surprise attack as he fed off of the darkness the mask cards carried after feeding on the former henchwomen he recruited.

' enjoy this victory while you still can….'

With that said and done Nightshroud figured that it might be a better idea to pay Jaden back differently, after all one good surprise attack deserves another as he summoned his "agents".

' I have some new orders for you.'

The Agents in turn listened intently.

' do not give them a chance to fight back, in fact kill them before they can reach for their cards…. Oh and make sure their genuinely surprised.'

His troops of shadow "agents" quietly nodded before disappearing as Nightshroud muttered to himself.

' sleep with one eye open my liege…..'

Back on Academy Island Yubel felt a chill run down her spine as Jaden asked/stated.

" did you just have a weird feeling too?"

Yubel answered.

" I never had any doubt about Nightshroud's intentions."

At this point Jaden pieced together the fact that the only reason why Nightshroud allowed them to go to begin with was to make a show of force meaning that he didn't need any more minions to do his bidding. Knowing that this didn't spell well for the school Jaden made his way back to the infirmary as quickly as possible.

" guys we're about to have company."

Chazz asked/stated the following.

" the unwelcomed kind no doubt."

Jaden smirked as he asked.

" anyone here is game to form a little welcoming committee?"

Jim Cook funny enough was the first to respond with.

" consider me in."

Chazz at that cleared his throat saying.

" while I don't share his enthusiasm I still owe Nightshroud a good beating after what he tried to put me through."

Axel at that added briefly his two scents worth in as the group exited the infirmary to bare witness to the ever so popular "agents" to materialize out of both shadows and duel monster cards.

" guys, split up… I have a feeling they'll try to keep us otherwise distracted."

With that the group spread out making a circle around the building while Alexis came out with her duel disc around her left arm, ready to fight with Jaden stating.

" don't take this the wrong way but we need you back inside."

Alexis smirked while asking.

" back inside where a small attack could demolish the building on our heads?"

Jaden sheepishly answered.

" point taken."

At this exact same moment the legion of shadow " agents" attacked the group, making them give their all as said warriors wear them down just for Nightshroud to swoop in and finish the job he had started.

" remember guys, one turn kills."

Chazz, and the rest of the group replied.

" any more useful tips?"

Jaden replied back with a small smirk.

" yeah… no flashy strategies….. no point in spending too much energy."

With that said and done the fighting officially commenced as the agents swarmed the building with the group in question were getting dropped like flies by the dozen.

" Yubel!….."

With Yubel appearing outside the usual hologram Jaden wasted no time giving her instructions.

" protect everyone inside…. Just in case we fall today holding the line…."

Yubel silently nodded before disappearing as Alexis asked with a smirk.

" in case we fall down? That's not like you to doubt others or yourself….."

Smirking right back at her Jaden replied.

" the only doubt I have is in how much cards we'll have before these creeps decide to back off….."

Alexis admitted to him and to herself mostly.

" I didn't think about that."

that conversation though was cut short because the " agents" didn't let up in the slightest as Jaden could only concentrate on one thought only.

' there's got to be a way to get these guys off of our backs….'

A couple of hours have passed at this point with the "agents" out of nowhere stopped fighting. A bit weary at that sudden development Jaden couldn't help but both ask cautiously and optimistically.

" what exactly happened?, are they giving up?"

Chazz, being the closest to both Jaden and Alexis in proximity added his two cents into the conversation.

" maybe some of them have ran out of cards to play."

Alexis at this point chimed in.

" if that were the case some of them would've vanished since you lose the duel once you can't play anymore cards."

Jaden at that felt a sudden realization creeping in as he addressed everyone else.

" no matter what, keep the infirmary safe I'm going on ahead….."

Chazz was having none of that as he went along saying.

" I'm not here to save you, but I will be there to pick up the ball when you fumble it."

Fighting the urge to roll his eyes Jaden retorted with.

" really?….. where's the trust Chazz?"

Chazz at that actually rolled his eyes.

" oh I trust you alright."

Just as a small smirk appeared on Jaden's face Chazz landed the punchline.

" I trust you to fumble the ball."

Never losing the smirk Jaden ended the conversation with.

" what are friends for?"

Within the resting place of The Sacred beasts Nightshroud materialized out of the shadows as he made his approach towards the cards as he sensed both Jaden and Chazz approaching.

' took you long enough… and you've brought your little friend as well.'

Chazz was about to give Nightshroud a piece of his mind however for some reason it felt to him like he'd be walking into a trap so he instead chose to keep his mouth shut for a moment before asking the following.

" it was never about gaining energy for yourself, you needed energy to forcibly take the beasts cards."

Nightshroud smirked at that comment before saying.

' my aren't we clever, still that won't make you interesting to me so….. begone…'

With that Nightshroud unleashed an attack befitting a duel monster as Chazz in turn acted quickly summoning Light and Darkness Dragon to defend him while Jaden made his way towards the Beast cards as he tried something on intuition muttering to himself.

" well….. let's hope it works…."

With that said and done Jaden tapped into the powers of the gentle darkness to try and draw the Sacred beasts from their resting place, after a few failed attempts the hero duelist managed to accomplish what he set out to do as he drew Nightshroud's attention.

" hey!, is this what you're looking for?!"

Nightshroud stopped his attack on the insignificant pest that went by Chazz as he realized what Jaden has done.

' thanks for doing my work mortal now….'

Before Nightshroud could continue talking he noticed the fool Jaden was holding the cards sideways as though he was beginning to rip them apart as he asked.

' what are you trying to do mortal?!'

Jaden smirked as he answered.

" the only solution that would save the world, or in other words, you don't have it, I don't have it."

In a twist that even Nightshroud couldn't predict Jaden got the upper hand while he was led into a trap he was too proud to admit he fell for, now however will be the perfect time to try and escape it and he had the perfect method to achieve such a feet.

Next time: One's worst enemy.