149 Powerful Attack Jack vs. Defensive Heavyweight

"Bang-boom!"
The battle triggered an explosion, billowing thick smoke. Two years—two seconds later, both sides galloped out from the smoke.
"Hmm?"
Emerging from the smoke, the Ghost Rider glanced back and saw the Bitter Sword Bird, that perpetually sullen bird-man warrior, still stubbornly hovering above Crow's head.
Turning his gaze to the duel screen in front of him, after a closer inspection, the Ghost Rider found the reason why the Bitter Sword Bird had not been destroyed by the battle—
Crow's hand was reduced to 0, and that vanished card in hand was the "culprit" that allowed the Bitter Sword Bird to survive!
"During damage calculation, by sending 'Blackwing - Bora the Spear' from the hand to the Graveyard, a 'Blackwing' monster is prevented from being destroyed by battle."
"However, you still take the battle damage," the Ghost Rider added. Crow's LP dropped by 800, matching his previous damage.
"Turn end."
Since it wasn't destroyed by battle, and because of the earlier effect of "Blackwing - Kalut the Rain Shadow", the Bitter Sword Bird's power had increased by 1400 points until the end of the turn, forcing the original battle plan to be abruptly terminated.
"My turn, draw!"
'No Spell or Trap cards, a Superheavy Samurai that attacks while in Defense Position...'
In the span of a single turn, Crow had seen through the core of the "Superheavy Samurai" archetype: to maximize the power of monsters like Superheavy Samurai, not a single Spell or Trap card could be stuffed into the deck! Furthermore, the summoned monsters must all be in Defense Position! High attack for oneself, high defense on the opponent's turn!
'My only card in hand, pray that I draw the key card!'
Staring at the High-Speed Magic card in his hand, Crow pinned his future hopes upon it.
"There are two Speed Counters! Activating the High-Speed Magic card 'Angel Wand'! Draw two cards, then discard one!"
...
While Crow pinned his hopes on the draw from Angel Wand, Jack was also engaged in a fierce battle with his own Ghost Rider!
"Duel!"
Ghost Rider: 4000 LP
Jack Atlas: 4000 LP
"My turn, draw!"
Glancing at the card he had just drawn, the Ghost Rider directly placed it face-down onto his Duel Disk.
"Set a monster in Defense Position, turn end."
That was it? Just like that?! He set a monster and immediately declared the end of his turn?!
'This guy... is he toying with me, Jack Atlas?!'
Knowing full well that he was facing Jack, he still dared to set a monster on the very first turn and end his turn without setting any backrow whatsoever—this was absolute disrespect!
"Hmph! I'll show you the absolute power of Jack!"
"Since only you control a monster, I reduce 'Vice Dragon's attack and defense power by half, and Special Summon it in Attack Position!"
"Vice Dragon," the classic un-shuffled monster representative of Jack in the anime, possessed a stubborn persistence comparable to President Kaiba's "Three Blue-Eyes White Dragons plus One Polymerization"!
"Next, I Attack Summon the Level 2 Tuner monster, 'Scarred Resonator'!"
A Resonator monster whose body was entirely formed of flames, holding a tuning fork and a tuning hammer, appeared on Jack's field.
"The effect of Scarred Resonator activates! When this card is successfully Summoned, I can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower monster from my hand."
"At the same time, chaining to the effect of Scarred Resonator, I activate the effect of the Effect Monster 'Crimson Wolf' from my hand!"
A giant crimson-furred wolf wearing iron armor, blazing with roaring flames, sprinted along the Riding Highway.
"Crimson Wolf can be Special Summoned from the hand when a 'Resonator' monster is successfully Summoned, but when Special Summoned by this effect, its power is halved."
The side effect was similar to Vice Dragon's; its own power would be halved upon Special Summon.
"Next, resolving the effect of 'Scarred Resonator'."
Saying this, Jack slammed his second Resonator monster from his hand onto the Duel Disk.
With gold and green back ornaments, it was none other than "Synchro Clone Resonator", which Jack had specially summoned during his previous duel against the Masked Man.
"Level 2 Tuner monster 'Scarred Resonator', plus the Level 5 monster 'Vice Dragon', Synchro Summon!"
Level 2 + 5 = 7 Stars.
"Let the roar of the king echo! Let the hammer of victory shatter the earth! Synchro Summon! Spread your wings and soar, Exploder Wing Dragon!"
A Dragon-type Synchro monster with orange wing membranes and dragon crests, standing on two black legs, its head and back forming a horizontal line.
"Next, Synchro Summon using the Level 1 Tuner monster 'Synchro Clone Resonator' and the Level 6 monster 'Crimson Wolf'!"
Level 1 + 6 = 7 Stars.
His good brother Crow performed two Synchro Summons, so Jack refused to fall behind, similarly summoning two Synchro monsters.
"Star of death shining at the zenith! Dance upon the earth and bring judgment to the living! Synchro Summon! Descend, King of the Penalties, Dark Anthelion—no, Heavens Overlord!" (T/N: Retaining the localized flavor for Heavens Overlord / Dark Anthelion).
Never appearing in the anime, the manga-exclusive Synchro monster Dark Heavens Overlord appeared, holding a massive scythe like the Grim Reaper.
"The last-will effect of 'Synchro Clone Resonator', sent to the Graveyard as Synchro Material, activates! Add 'Scarred Resonator' from the Graveyard to my hand."
Synchro Clone, having been sent to the Graveyard, could retrieve its "Resonator" companion from the Graveyard.
"Entering the Battle Phase! Dark Heavens Overlord! Attack that guy's defense monster!"
With 2800 Attack, among low-level monsters set in face-down defense, there was no monster capable of blocking its attack!
"There are no Spell or Trap cards in our Graveyard. The effect of 'Superheavy Samurai Glove - V', which was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, activates. Excavate the top five cards of my deck and arrange them in the order of my personal preference."
Drawing five cards from the deck in one sweep and glancing at them briefly, the Ghost Rider rearranged them according to his own design.
"Exploder Wing Dragon! Direct attack!"
No set cards, no defense monsters! Once the attack succeeded, the opponent's LP would instantly plummet by 2400!
"At this instant, the effect of 'Superheavy Samurai Glove - V' in the Graveyard activates. Banish it from the Graveyard and excavate the top card of my deck. If that card is a 'Superheavy Samurai' monster, add it to my hand, and change the attacking monster 'Exploder Wing Dragon's Attack to 0. Otherwise, send it to the Graveyard."
Having just used the glove's first effect to excavate the top five cards of the deck, he now excavated the very top card to determine if the effect would be advantageous—a truly flawless combo!
"Monster card—Superheavy Samurai Soul - C."
The effect judgment was successful! Two giant iron palms of the glove blocked Exploder Wing Dragon's attack, and then, under Exploder Wing Dragon's astonished gaze, the plump mechanical body leaped in front of the opponent, delivering two resounding slaps that instantly stripped Exploder Wing Dragon of all its power!
"Tch! Set a card, turn end!"
Looking at Exploder Wing Dragon's stripped power, Jack gritted his teeth in frustration.
With its Attack reduced to 0, its own effect was rendered useless! Because its sole effect was tied to its own power; the higher the Attack, the greater the effect's magnitude!
Yet now... sigh!