Chapter 112: The Bond with the Spirit

King of Demise, Dimis, defeated!

The colossal World-Destroying Demon God crumbled into ash and exited the field, and the oppressive pressure across the entire arena seemed to drop sharply. The eerie blue flames enveloping Xie Er diminished somewhat, yet he remained panting heavily.

"To think you actually defeated the King of Demise." Xie Er exhaled a long breath. "I underestimated you; you truly are no ordinary brats."

"It's not over yet."

Jūdai revealed two more cards from his hand.

"Spell Card 'Double Attack'! By discarding one Monster Card from my hand to the Graveyard, I can select one monster on my field with a lower Level than the discarded monster; that monster can attack twice this turn."

"I discard the Level 5 'Elemental HERO Necroshade' from my hand and select the Level 4 'Elemental HERO Bubbleman' on the field. This turn, Bubbleman can attack twice!"

"Then, enter the Battle Phase!"

Jūdai swept his arm down, sounding the horn of assault for his Heroes.

"First, 'Elemental HERO Plasma Vice', attack the face-down monster!" Jūdai declared. "When Plasma Vice attacks a monster in Defense Position, if its ATK exceeds that monster's DEF, it inflicts piercing damage equal to that difference!"

"Then I activate my face-down card!" On Xie Er's side, a back-row card also activated. "Trap Card 'Absorb Shield'!"

"When an opponent's monster declares an attack, negate that attack, and I regain Life Points equal to that monster's ATK!"

A transparent absorption barrier expanded, rippling with rainbow-like luster. The lightning bombardment from Plasma Vice struck the transparent barrier in full, transforming into surging energy that was absorbed into Xie Er's body.

[Xie Er, LP 4800 → LP 7600]

"Ah, your LP only increased the more we fight. Then, 'Elemental HERO Bubbleman', attack the face-down monster! Bubble Shot!"

Bubbleman crouched low, shouldering his foam cannon, firing a barrage of bubbles carried by a stream of water that washed away the face-down monster on the field.

It was a pot-shaped monster with a single eye, wearing a cheeky, sinister grin.

Morphing Jar!

You Xuan frowned slightly.

Good grief, silently dropping another formidable piece without making a sound.

[Morphing Jar, DEF 600]

"Morphing Jar's effect: when this card is flipped, both players discard their entire hands," Xie Er stated. "Afterward, each player draws five cards from their Deck."

The hands were exchanged once more, and Morphing Jar immediately shattered into fragments under the impact of the foam.

Jūdai: "Due to the effect of 'Double Attack', Bubbleman can attack twice this turn!"

"Go, Bubbleman, direct attack! Bubble Shot!"

The foam cannon on Bubbleman's shoulder fired again; a series of bubbles blasted forth, exploding right in Xie Er's face. Xie Er's body swayed once more, and he stumbled back several steps.

[Xie Er, LP 7600 → LP 6000]

"This level of damage is far from enough." Xie Er stubbornly rose to his feet.

Jūdai: "I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

Following this, he looked at You Xuan with a hint of apology. "Sorry about that; his Life Points actually increased."

"It's fine; you broke through his formation," You Xuan said.

Jūdai gave him another thumbs-up. "I had a feeling from the start; our cooperation is invincible!"

Xie Er watched silently, his facial muscles twitching, seemingly even more displeased.

"Comrades... it is precisely because of comrades that one becomes weak."

Jūdai: "What did you say?"

"Heroes are lonely, and they must be so. This is the fate of those who wield the sword."

Jūdai pondered for a moment, then said, "You keep saying this, talking about abandoning comrades and spirits... but I feel you haven't completely let go, have you?"

"What?"

"The Phoenix God of Nephthys. You said it betrayed you, yet you still carry it, still use this Deck, don't you?" Jūdai said. "If, as you claim, your family has preserved this card for generations, and you've regarded it as a friend since childhood, perhaps it isn't so easy to cast aside?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Xie Er said icily. "I just stated that dueling is merely about victory. Whether it's the Phoenix God or the King of Demise, they are nothing but swords in a duelist's hands; they need only fulfill the role of a sword."

"Any weapon that can be utilized must be exploited to the utmost; that is all."

"Is that so? Then why did you specifically come to this place, to this dimension, to search for this hidden ruin?" Jūdai asked. "I presume this isn't your first expedition, is it?"

"You have been traveling everywhere, searching for traces of the Phoenix God, because you want to see its spirit, don't you?"

"Nonsense. I do this merely to capture the spirit's power for my own use," Xie Er said, unmoved. "Or perhaps I am seeking revenge for its cold indifference toward us back then?"

"That's what I thought at first, but through dueling, I realize it is not so," Jūdai shook his head. "Dueling is a collision of souls; only through dueling can we understand one another."

"You are strong, perhaps the strongest duelist I have faced so far. Although you say monsters are merely tools to be used, from this duel just now, I could sense that you possess a heart that believes in your cards, that believes in your monsters. You are a true duelist."

"Preposterous, absolutely preposterous."

"You may deny it all you like," Classmate Jūdai continued his output. "It doesn't matter how you deny me. But with such excuses, can you truly convince yourself?"

Xie Er: "..."

Although You Xuan remained silent, inwardly he had begun to admire Classmate Jūdai's legacy of verbal warfare, passed down through generations of Yu-Gi-Oh! protagonists.

Come to think of it, after this barrage of talk, You Xuan could indeed vaguely feel the opponent's aura weakening.

In the terminology taught in the Academy's Draw Course, it was roughly that Jūdai's side, as a duelist, had suppressed the opponent with "momentum."

"Silence."

Xie Er shook his head, speaking coldly.

"Spouting nothing but nonsense. It is merely a duel; what do you understand? How could you possibly comprehend my thoughts?"

"My turn, draw!"

He drew forcefully, the card pulled from his Deck carving a massive arc through the air.

"The moment I enter the Standby Phase, the effect of 'The Phoenix God of Nephthys' in my Graveyard activates again!" Xie Er raised his voice. "Since 'The Phoenix God of Nephthys' was destroyed by the effect of 'King of Demise, Dimis' last turn, its effect triggers!"

"During the Standby Phase of this turn, The Phoenix God of Nephthys will be reborn from the ashes!"

A pillar of phoenix fire shot skyward; within the green light barrier, a golden phoenix spread its wings. The flames of the phoenix condensed, gradually reforming the figure of the golden divine bird.

"Then, The Phoenix God's subsequent effect activates! When revived by its own effect, all Spell and Trap Cards on the field are destroyed!" Xie Er laughed loudly. "The combination of the King of Demise and The Phoenix God means that every turn after the King of Demise clears the field, The Phoenix God will be reborn the next turn and sweep away all back-row cards!"

"Against this combination, any defense line of face-down cards is meaningless; you have no choice but destruction!"

"Activate face-down card!" Jūdai interrupted his chant. "Trap Card 'Lost'!"

"Banish one card from your opponent's Graveyard from play!"

Xie Er: "!"

Nani? You're going to dig up my grave!?

Did you just print this card on the spot?

"Therefore, I banish 'The Phoenix God of Nephthys' from your Graveyard from play!" Jūdai stated. "Since 'The Phoenix God of Nephthys' is no longer in the Graveyard during effect resolution, it cannot be Special Summoned and will instead be removed from this game!"

The churning flames in mid-air formed the shape of The Phoenix God, but immediately turned into a transparent phantom.

Yet, in doing so, it instead broke free from the shackles of the Orichalcos.

The binding mark on The Phoenix God's forehead cracked; its semi-transparent body burned silently in the air, lowering its head to gaze at Xie Er.

Xie Er unconsciously lifted his head to look at it.

"Phoenix God..."

In a trance, he seemed to hear a voice as if coming from a very distant place, like a weak sound breaking through layer upon layer of barriers, transmitted from another spacetime.

"I'm sorry..."

Then, the image of the phoenix burned away completely and vanished from the field.

Xie Er: "..."

He remained silent for several seconds without uttering a word.

"As expected, the bond between you and the spirit was never broken," Jūdai continued speaking. "It was merely obscured by evil power, wasn't it?"

"There must surely be some hidden truth regarding what happened back then..."

"My turn continues; enter the Main Phase," Xie Er interrupted coldly.

"Xie Er?" Jūdai frowned.

"Regardless, speaking of these things is meaningless now. I am no longer the successor of the Phoenix God; I am one of the Three Knights of Doma, and only that."

Xie Er lifted his head, speaking grimly.

"I will defeat you here... and then continue forward."

(End of Chapter)