Aster: 1800 LP
Jaden: 2800 LP
Aster's Field: Clock Tower Prison, Destiny Hero - Doom Lord
Aster set a card and ended his turn, and Jaden said things had gotten interesting before he drew a card. "During your standby phase, Clock Tower Prison's effect activates, causing it to gain a clock counter," Aster informed as the hands on the clock moved forward by three hours. "Whatever that clock is for, I'm sure the cards in my deck can stop it," Jaden said, but Aster told him that no one can stop the hands of fate. "Don't be so sure. I summon Wroughtweiler in attack mode," Jaden declared.
Level 4/Earth/Machine
ATK 800/DEF 1200
Jaden ordered Wroughtweiler to attack, and it ran forward, tackling Doom Lord.
Aster: 1600 LP
"I play the trap Destiny Signal!" Aster declared as his trap flipped up, shining a light in the sky like Hero Signal, but with a D in place of the E. "When one of my monsters is destroyed in battle, I can play this card to summon a level four or lower Destiny Hero from my hand or deck, like my Destiny Hero – Captain Tenacious," he informed.
Level 3/Dark/Warrior
ATK 800/DEF 800
"And due to his special ability, Captain Tenacious can bring back any of my Destiny Heroes during the standby phase of my next turn after they're destroyed in battle," Aster explained. "You mean you can bring back your monsters endlessly?" Jaden asked, and Aster challenged Jaden to overturn his destiny of defeat. Jaden ended his turn, and once Aster started his turn, a bright light flashed on his field and his Doom Lord reappeared.
Level 3/Dark/Warrior
ATK 600/DEF 800
"His monster really did come back!" Hassleberry exclaimed, and Bastion was beginning to wonder if the Destiny Heroes really could control the future. "I'll continue by summoning my Destiny Hero - Diamond Dude in attack mode," Aster declared.
Level 4/Dark/Warrior
ATK 1400/DEF 1600
"Due to his special ability, once each turn I can reveal the top card of my deck, and if that card is a normal spell it gets sent to my graveyard so I can activate it on my next turn. Look at that, it's my Misfortune spell card. How appropriate, because now misfortune's in your future. Now Diamond Dude, attack that mutt with Diamond Knuckle!" he ordered before Diamond Dude rushed forward and struck Wroughtweiler, destroying him in one punch.
Jaden: 2200 LP
"You're not the only one who can activate a monster effect, Aster. When Wroughtweiler goes to the graveyard, I can fetch an Elemental Hero and a Polymerization from the grave, and I choose Bubbleman," Jaden said as he pulled said monster out of his graveyard. "Is that supposed to scare me or something? Sorry, not gonna happen. Captain Tenacious, attack directly!" Aster shouted as Tenacious charged Jaden and gave him an uppercut, knocking him onto his back.
Jaden: 1400 LP
"I place one card face-down and end my turn," he concluded. Jaden started his turn, and Aster reminded him of Clock Tower Prison's effect as the hands moved forward to 6 o'clock.
Prison: 2 counters
"Alright, I summon Bubbleman in attack mode, and thanks to his effect, since I don't have any other cards on my field, I can draw two cards from my deck. And now I play the equip spell Bubble Blaster, raising his attack points by 800," Jaden informed.
Bubbleman: 800-1600 ATK
Jaden had Bubbleman attack Captain Tenacious, but Aster revealed his trap D - Shield, explaining that when one of his Destiny Heroes is attacked while it's in attack mode, D - Shield changes the attack target to defense mode and then equips onto it, preventing it from being destroyed by battle. Jaden ended his turn, and when Aster started his, Jaden reminded him that since two turns had passed, Shining Flare Wingman returned to his field.
Level 8/Light/Warrior
ATK 2500-3400/DEF 2100
"Congratulations, but in case you forgot, I get a card back too. Since Diamond Dude sent Misfortune to my grave last turn, I can activate it, allowing me to deal damage to you equal to half the original attack of one of your monsters, like your Flare Wingman," Aster said as an energy barrier appeared in front of Aster. Flare Wingman shot an energy blast at it, but it bounced off the barrier and hit Jaden.
Jaden: 150 LP
"And now I activate Doom Lord's special ability, sending your Wingman two turns into the future. See ya," Aster taunted as Doom Lord struck Flare Wingman, causing him to vanish again. "Poor Jaden. Thanks to Aster's destiny cards, he's lost control of his own monsters. I've never seen him like this," Alexis lamented.
"This duel is remarkable. It breaks every known formula. Jaden can't make a choice because all of his moves have been predetermined," Bastion remarked. In Sartorius' chambers, he could sense Jaden's turmoil. "I can see your struggle. Everything you've ever believed in has turned out to be a lie. There are no choices. Freedom is but an illusion, for you see my young friend, destiny has led you to me. Jaden, I have infused Aster's deck with the truth, and when he defeats you in this duel, your eyes will finally open. Soon you shall walk along the path of light, by my side," he said.
Aster ended his turn, and during Jaden's standby phase, the hands on Clock Tower Prison moved ahead to 9 o'clock. "It's no use Jaden. No matter how much you struggle, you are powerless in the face of destiny," Aster taunted, but Jaden just started laughing. "I have to admit Aster, your Destiny Heroes are really cool," Jaden complimented, catching Aster off guard.
"I've been in a rut for a while, but seeing your Destiny Heroes, it's almost like I can imagine new heroes of my own," Jaden said. "New heroes? No such things exist in the world, aside from the Destiny Heroes. These are the ultimate heroes, surpassing the Elemental Heroes in every way possible," Aster assured.
"If you ask me, that seems like a narrow perspective. I feel like if there are Destiny and Elemental Heroes, there's got to be more out there, right?" Jaden asked, but to say Aster disagreed would've been an understatement. "Okay, Bubbleman, attack Doom Lord!" Jaden ordered before his monster fired a blast of water out of its cannon.
Aster: 600 LP
"Good shot Jaden!" Syrus shouted, Hassleberry noting that Jaden shaved off most of Aster's remaining life points. "I activate Captain Tenacious' special ability! Go, Wonder Arrival!" Aster shouted as a large gear appeared on his field. "Okay, I summon Elemental Hero Clayman in defense mode," Jaden declared.
Level 4/Earth/Warrior
ATK 800/DEF 2000
Jaden ended his turn, and once Aster started his, the gear on his field vanished, being replaced by Doom Lord. "Next, I activate Diamond Dude's effect, so I check the top card of my deck. It's my Magical Stone Excavation, so it's sent to my graveyard and I can activate it next turn. Now I'll use Doom Lord's effect to send Bubbleman two rounds into the future," Aster said as Doom Lord struck Bubbleman, causing him to vanish as his Bubble Blaster clattered to the ground before it shattered.
"Next, I play the equip spell Ring of Magnetism onto Captain Tenacious. He may lose 500 attack and defense points, but now you can only attack him," Aster informed as a green aura surrounded Captain Tenacious.
Tenacious: 800-300 ATK/DEF
"With that ring equipped to a monster that can't be destroyed in battle, Jaden may as well not be allowed to attack at all," Alexis lamented, wondering how Jaden was going to win. Aster ended his turn, and when Jaden drew, the hands of Clock Tower Prison moved forward to 12 o'clock, but when it did, the whole structure began to ripple like waves on the ocean.
"I don't know what that clock is about to do, but I'd better put a stop to it. I play Polymerization to fuse Elemental Heroes Wildheart and Necroshade to summon Elemental Hero Necroid Shaman!" Jaden shouted.
Level 6/Dark/Warrior
ATK 1900/DEF 1800
"So you summoned a new hero? It's no use. Against the Destiny Heroes, none of your monsters stand a chance," Aster mocked, but Jaden said to be so sure. "I activate Necroid Shaman's special ability. When this guy is summoned, he can send one of your monsters to the graveyard to replace it with another monster in your graveyard," Jaden explained before he had Shaman destroy Captain Tenacious, replacing it with the Avian in Aster's graveyard.
Level 3/Wind/Warrior
ATK 1000/DEF 1000
"Excellent maneuver soldier. By sending Tenacious to the graveyard, Jaden's attacks are no longer restricted," Hassleberry pointed out, Alexis saying that Jaden was about to win. Jaden ordered Necroid Shaman to attack Doom Lord, his monster striking the dark hero with his staff, but Aster stood completely unfazed by the attack.
Aster: 600 LP
"Nice try, but since Clock Tower Prison has 4 counters, I don't take any damage in battle," Aster informed smugly. Jaden just grit his teeth and set two cards before ending his turn. "I don't believe it. Jaden is about to win, only to be stopped by some oversized clock?" Chazz asked. "It's worse than that. Aster has controlled this entire duel. And as long as that clock is out, Jaden can't fight back," Bastion said as Aster started his turn.
"During my standby phase, your wingman returns to your field. And now I activate the effect of Magical Stone Excavation in my graveyard, letting me discard two cards to add a spell card to my hand, like my Misfortune card, which I'll use to make you take damage equal to half your Wingman's original attack points. You're through!" Aster shouted, but Jaden just smirked.
"Not this time Aster. I play De-Fusion and Burial from a Different Dimension! First, all banished monsters are sent to the graveyard, and then Flare Wingman splits back into Flame Wingman and Sparkman, so your Misfortune has no target," Jaden explained.
Flame Wingman
Level 6/Wind/Warrior
ATK 2100/DEF 1200
Sparkman
Level 4/Light/Warrior
ATK 1600/DEF 1400
Aster ended his turn, and when Jaden started his, he saw he had drawn the exact card he needed. "I activate the field spell Fusion Gate, which means Clock Tower Prison is destroyed!" Jaden shouted as Clock Tower Prison began crumbling. "Sorry Jaden, but you just made a big mistake. When Clock Tower Prison is destroyed when it has four or more Clock counters, the monster inside is released. So say hello to Destiny Hero – Dreadmaster!" Aster shouted.
Level 8/Dark/Warrior
ATK ?/ DEF ?
"When he's summoned, he automatically destroys any monster on my field that isn't a Destiny Hero, and then I can summon up to two Destiny Heroes from my graveyard. Dreadmaster is a monster that has been imprisoned in Clock Tower Prison for a very long time. Powered by vengeance, he's on another level compared to the other Destiny Heroes," Aster said before telling Dreadmaster to activate its effect.
Dreadmaster gave a shout, sending out shockwaves that tore through Aster's Avian before reviving Captain Tenacious and Doom Lord. "And due to Dreadmaster's other effect, his attack and defense points are equal to the combined attack points of my other Destiny Heroes," Aster explained.
Dreadmaster: ?-2800 ATK/DEF
"He may be strong, but that power is also a weakness. I activate Fusion Gate's effect, so by banishing Clayman and Sparkman, I can fuse them and summon Elemental Hero Thunder Giant," Jaden informed.
Level 6/Light/Warrior
ATK 2400/DEF 1500
"And now his special ability activates, destroying one of your monsters whose original attack is less than or equal to his attack. Destroy Diamond Dude with Static Blast!" Jaden ordered as Thunder Giant raised his hand and fired a blast of lightning at Diamond Dude, but Dreadmaster slammed his fist into the ground, causing a volley of stones to deflect the blast.
"Guess I forgot to mention. When Dreadmaster is summoned in attack mode, his special ability prevents my Destiny Heroes from being destroyed by battle or effect that turn while keeping me from taking any battle damage," Aster informed, and Jaden just ended his turn. "I'll admit that you're a skilled duelist, but there's no way you can defeat me, and that's because I have something you don't," Aster declared.
Jaden asked what that was, and Aster said it was a reason to yearn for heroism, a higher purpose to serve. Jaden stared down at his duel disk as he remembered his destiny that Michael told him about the year before. "If only he knew. Someday my dueling has to be good enough to save the world. I've known for a while, but it's still a lot to think about," he thought to himself before asking Aster what "higher purpose" he was trying to serve.
"The reason I duel is to bring justice to the world and punish the one who took my father from me! My father was a card designer working for Industrial Illusions. He put his heart into every design he created. He was my hero," Aster confided, and Jaden asked what happened. "I came in one night and he was beaten up and passed out on the floor. The ambulance took him to the hospital. Whoever attacked him left him in a coma, one the doctors said he'd likely never wake from," Aster said as he remembered the night his life changed.
"I'm sorry that happened. Wait a minute, did your father," Jaden began to ask before Aster confirmed what he was thinking: that his father created the Destiny Heroes. "They were the last cards he ever made. He taught me that justice would always prevail, but he was wrong. After all these years, they still haven't caught the one responsible," Aster said.
"I swore I'd use the cards he created to bring criminals to justice, and some day I'm going to find the scum who attacked him and make them pay for what they did! And I'll know them when I see them, because they'll have the last Destiny card, the last one my father made. And when I find them, they're gonna regret the day they were born!" he shouted.
"Don't you get it Aster? Your dad wouldn't want you using his cards for revenge, he'd want you to use them to remember him by and enjoy dueling with," Jaden argued, but Aster wouldn't listen. "You don't know anything about him! He was my hero, and I won't stop until the man who attacked him pays for what he did! It's time to end this," Aster said as he started his turn.
Dreadmaster was surrounded by a violet aura, and Sartorius could sense what was about to happen, saying that the chosen duelist was finally his. "Dreadmaster, attack Thunder Giant!" Aster shouted before Dreadmaster jumped into the air and dove at Thunder Giant, delivering a punch that shook the arena.
Jaden: 0 LP
"Told ya. You can't hide from destiny," Aster said before he turned and walked off, but after he left, Jaden's cards flew out of his duel disk and he collapsed onto the arena floor. Alexis shouted for him as she ran down, but as Jaden collapsed, he began to feel strange, and he could almost swear his cards were turning blank.