Yu-Gi-Oh! GX - Episode 177

'''Combo of Terror! "Zero and Infinity"''' is the one hundred and seventy-seventh episode of the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX anime. Jaden Yuki apperas to be the later remaining human on Earth, with only Pharaoh and the spirit of Profesosr Banner for company. Nightshroud reveals his true form, as well as the origins of the universe. Jaden and Nightshroud begin their final confrontation.

Summary
Despite the defeat of Nightshroud, the eclipse has not lifted. Jaden Yuki and Jesse Anderson hear a growling in the distance, and Jaden goes to investigate, while Jesse, still exhausted from the duel, watches over Yusuke Fujiwara. Jaden hurries to Duel Academy's computer core, and sees that no one in Duel Academy or anywhere else has been restored. A voice then tells him that they need to settle this once and for all. He heads back outside, but Jesse and Fujiwara are gone, leaving him alone with Pharaoh and the spirit of Professor Banner. The voice speaks to him again, telling him the final confrontation is at hand. He states that he is Nightshroud and Jaden has only defeated a part of him by beating Fujiwara (keep in mind that in the Japanese version of previous seasons, Nightshroud's name was "Darkness").

Nightshroud reveals his true form - a cloaked, skeletal figure, resembling The Grim Reaper. Banner states he can sense the spirits of many people within the sphere of Darkness behind Nightshroud. Jaden questions what Nightshroud's desire is - to take over the world? Nightshroud states he has no desire and that he only follows the logic and truth of the world. Jaden asks whether he thinks it's natural for everyone to disappear from existence. Nightshroud confirms this, and states that the World of Darkness represents true peace for many. Nightshroud allows Jaden a look into his world, much as he did for Atticus Rhodes. Chazz Princeton, Syrus Truesdale and Alexis Rhodes are shown accepting their failures and Nightshroud states that they have thrown everything away - there is neither hope nor despair in the World of Darkness. Their consciousnesses will fade into one another, and everyone will have "eternal life".

Nightshroud reveals the origins of the universe - using a "card" as a metaphor for it. In the beginning there was but a single card. The planets and stars were created, and the Earth gave rise to humans, who eventually discover the Duel Monsters, which Nightshroud calls "the origin of the world". Duel Monsters served as a test or a "mirror" of the human soul. Nightshroud compares the human world to the front of a card, with the World of Darkness compared to the back of it. If light remained in the hearts of humans, then peace could be retained on the "front" of the card. However, the souls of many duelists became corrupted, and that darkness seeped into Nightshroud's world. In other words, that was what awakened him to begin with. He states it is natural for his world to replace the human world. He describes himself as a "savior". He also confirms the theory that Sartorius had previously come up with - the events of the previous three years, centered on the island, served as the final catalyst needed. It is from the darkness of humans that Nightshroud's power derives from, and each human that misuses Duel Monsters causes his power to grow.

Jaden states he acquired his powers of darkness to combat ones like Nightshroud - and his eyes briefly glow the yellow of The Supreme King before turning to the bichromatic style of Yubel. Nightshroud describes Jaden as a "foreign object", one who has both a human soul and a Duel Monster soul within him. He states that Jaden is not suitable to be absorbed into his world. Jaden tells him he will not let Nightshroud complete his task, and thus Nightshroud declares he'll defeat Jaden using Duel Monsters - the "origin of the world". Jaden activates his Duel Disk, while five wings sprout of Nightshroud's back - each with a Monster Card Zone and a Spell & Trap Card Zone. Nightshroud plays the "Darkness" Field Spell Card, which lets him Set five cards from his hand and Deck to his Spell & Trap Card Zones. Jaden attacks, and Nightshroud activates "Zero", which also activates "Infinity". With these in play, he may activate any card that sits in the zones between the two. He states that between Zero and Infinity, there is only Darkness. He activates "Darkness 2", destroying Jaden's "Elemental Hero Sparkman". At the end of each turn, Nightshroud randomly rearranges his Spell and Trap Cards and Sets them face-down again. Normally he would not be able to check which card is which due to his "Darkness" Field Spell, but the effect of his "Darkness Eye" monster card circumvents this negative effect.

Nightshroud devastates Jaden's Life Points with "Darkness Destroyer", increasing its attack points with "Darkness 2". Jaden negates the attack with "Hero Barrier", but "Darkness Destroyer" can attack twice per turn. Nightshroud tells Jaden to give up, there is no one left to believe in his ability to fight. The spirit of Yubel appears and reminds Jaden that he's not alone - she is always with him. Jaden Summons "Elemental Hero Neos" and plays "Effect Shut" to destroy "Darkness Eye". He attacks, and Nightshroud cannot check his Set Spell and Trap Cards, so he activates a random one - which ends up being "Darkness 1", which is useless without activating "Zero" and "Infinity" first. Nightshroud states that if Yubel is giving Jaden support, he'll have to sever that connection. He uses the effect of "Darkness Outsider" to Special Summon "Yubel" to his own field. Nightshroud attacks with "Yubel", but Jaden activates "Astral Shift", allowing him to turn the attack into a direct attack, therefore taking none of the Battle Damage that Yubel's effect would have transferred to him. Jaden plays "Super Polymerization", discarding "Winged Kuriboh" to fuse "Neos" with "Yubel" to Fusion Summon "Neos Wiseman". He uses it to turn the duel around, restoring his Life Points to 3000, while taking Nightshroud's down to 1800.

Nightshroud's turn

 * Summons "Darkness Eye" (0/1000) in attack position.
 * Activates Field Spell Card "Darkness", which lets him randomly Set "Zero", "Infinity", "Darkness 1", "Darkness 2" and "Darkness 3" from his hand and Deck to his Spell & Trap Card Zone.
 * The effect of "Darkness Eye" allows Nightshroud to bypass "Darkness'" effect of not allowing him to check his Spell and Trap Cards.

Jaden's turn

 * Summons "Elemental Hero Sparkman" (1600/1400) in attack position.
 * Nightshroud activates his faced-down "Zero", which lets him activate "Infinity", which in turn lets him activate all cards that are in the zone between the two: "Darkness 1", which destroys "Sparkman".
 * Activates "Relationship", letting him Special Summon a monster when the same attack points as his destroyed Elemental Hero. He Special Summons "Elemental Hero Necroshade" (1600/1800) in defense position.
 * Sets a card.
 * Due to the effect of "Darkness", Nightshroud's Traps are reset and shuffled.

Nightshroud's turn

 * Activates the effect of "Darkness Eye" during his Standby Phase, Normal Summoning "Darkness Destroyer" (2300/2100) without Tributes as "Darkness Eye" is in attack position.
 * Activates "Zero", which lets him activate "Infinity", which in turn lets him activate the three cards in between the two - "Darkness 2", "Darkness 1" and "Darkness 3". "Darkness 2" activates first, increasing "Darkness Destroyer's" attack by 1000 for each face-up "Darkness" Trap Card. The effects of "Darkness 1" and "Darkness 3" are not activated, but since they are face-up, they count towards "Darkness Destroyer's" attack boost.
 * Attacks "Necroshade", but Jaden activates "Hero Barrier" to negate the attack.
 * Attacks again via the effect of "Darkness Destroyer", destroying "Necroshade" and inflicting Piercing damage (Jaden 500).
 * Due to the effect of "Darkness", Nightshroud's Traps are reset and shuffled.

Jaden's turn

 * Activates the effect of the "Necroshade" in his Graveyard, Normal Summoning "Elemental Hero Neos" (2500/2000) without Tribute in attack position.
 * Activates "Effect Shut" to destroy "Darkness Eye", meaning Nightshroud can no longer confirm his Spell and Trap Cards.
 * Attacks "Darkness Destroyer", but Nightshroud activates a random Trap - it ends up being "Darkness 1", but it has no effect unless it is activated via "Infinity" when it is between it and "Zero" (Nightshroud 3800).
 * Sets a card.
 * Due to the effect of "Darkness", Nightshroud's Traps are reset and shuffled.

Nightshroud's turn

 * Summons "Darkness Outsider" (0/0) in attack position.
 * Activates the effect of "Darkness Outsider", discarding "Darkness Seed" to declare a Monster Card name. If that card is in Jaden's Deck, Nightshroud can Summon it under his control. He declares "Yubel" (0/0), who is Special Summoned from Jaden's Deck to Nightshroud's field.
 * Attacks "Neos" with "Yubel", but Jaden activates his face-down "Astral Shift", turning Yubel's attack into a direct attack and allowing him to draw a card.
 * Uses the effect of "Darkness Slime" (0/0) to Special Summon it in defense position. It copies the stats of "Neos" (2500/2000).
 * Tributes "Darkness Outsider" to keep "Yubel" in play.

Jaden's turn
Duel continues in the next episode.
 * Activates "Super Polymerization", discarding "Winged Kuriboh" to fuse "Neos" and "Yubel", Fusion Summoning "Neos Wiseman" (3000/3000) in attack position.
 * Attacks "Darkness Slime", activating the effect of "Neos Wiseman" increasing his Life Points by "Darkness Slime's" defense and inflicting damage to Nighshroud equal to its attack (Jaden 3000, Nightshroud 1300).

Mistakes

 * When Jaden Summons Elemental Hero Necroshade it's defense is shown to be 1000 and not 1800.