Chapter 917: The Underworld King with No Face

The head of the Triangle Eagle began spewing thick steam, its speed slowing. The virtual runway beneath their vehicles vanished continuously until the space around them returned to pure white emptiness, leaving nothing behind.

You Xuan’s D-wheel also came to a slow stop beside the Triangle Eagle.

The two returned to the original pure white void. Antinomy stepped out first, removed his helmet, and bowed slightly to You Xuan with respectful deference.

Antinomy took several deep breaths, then said slowly: “Thank you, Mr. You Xuan, for your guidance.”

“It was nothing.”

You Xuan stepped out too, smiling.

“I barely won by a hair’s breadth—nothing worth mentioning. Let’s exchange more and spar again when you have time.”

Antinomy smiled but said nothing.

This duel did yield substantial gains—he witnessed the legendary Phantom Demon and experienced firsthand the overwhelming aura of a King far above him. Yet even if the gains were great, he had no desire to go through it again.

This King gave off a peculiar vibe. You felt sparring with him might be immensely beneficial, yet he felt like the kind of opponent you’d never seek out just to relieve your card addiction.

It was as if, after the match ended, your chest still felt tight and unsettled.

A full trap deck plus a specialized Divine Flame Emperor Uria—anyone who dares say “Dueling brings joy” in such a match clearly isn’t on the receiving end of it.

At this moment, Zone’s shadow reappeared, speaking faintly: “Absorb this experience well, Antinomy. You still have a chance to advance further.”

After a pause, Zone added wearily: “With this, you should now be able to more effectively accelerate the transformation of Fudo Yusei.”

Antinomy nodded: “Understood.”

You Xuan glanced at Antinomy: “Your mission is to help Fudo Yusei achieve evolution?”

In the original story, the future quartet each had their own tasks in this timeline. Zone was the unseen architect orchestrating everything, having planned You Xing’s life path since birth—arranging the awakening of the Dark Signers, the clashes of the Dragon Seals, using battle after battle to hone You Xing’s growth, even giving him the stone tablet of “Meteor Dragon” years before it would normally appear in his original history.

Taiyi’s Three Emperors—the three avatars of Apollia, Zone’s top general—were tasked with serving as overt challengers to the 5D’s team.

Antinomy, meanwhile, infiltrated the protagonists’ circle as a companion, imparting knowledge to You Xing, guiding him onto the correct path of evolution, fulfilling the dual role of ally and mentor.

From behind the scenes to teammate to opponent, throughout the entire 5D’s arc, You Xing’s every aspect was meticulously arranged by Zone, almost like a nanny attending to every detail. Deep down, Zone truly hoped You Xing would surpass his expectations and rewrite the future.

“Everyone knows Duel Monsters have star levels, but few realize Duelists themselves have ranks.”

Zone spoke calmly.

“Duelists begin at one star, reach legend at eight stars. Those who earn the title of Legend are already titans of their age, benchmarks revered across history.”

You Xuan recalled that in his own dimension, the Kaiba Corporation also used such star ratings—but those were based on actual duel records and carried Kaiba Corp’s subjective bias, rarely mentioned among elite circles.

Yet the star ratings Zone described now felt different—more like his own personal evaluation system.

“Legend” sounded at first like “legendary Duelist,” a term that immediately brought to mind those frauds in the Legend faction who bragged about having faced the First Duel King, making the title feel diluted.

But Zone’s “Legend” likely didn’t include those popular legends—it referred instead to the supreme geniuses of each era.

For instance, in this era, Fudo Yusei, nearing Duel King status, along with his companions Jack Atlas and Crow Hogan—You Xuan guessed their strength hovered around eight stars, a level worthy of historical recognition, worthy of the title Legend.

“Then what about Kings?” You Xuan asked.

This time, Antinomy answered: “In the history of Duel Monsters, the Three Phantom Gods, Three Phantom Demons, and Three Evil Gods serve as historical benchmarks—representatives of higher-dimensional beings beyond ordinary monsters.”

Phantom Demons, Phantom Gods, and Evil Gods are all ten-star entities, surpassing the usual Upper Rank tier.

For Duelists, crossing from nine to ten stars marks a qualitative threshold; the difference between ten-star Duelists and those below is as vast as heaven and earth.

We also drew inspiration from the origin of the title ‘Duel King.’ Yugi Mutou defeated Seto Kaiba and Malik Ishtar, became master of the Three Phantom Gods, and earned the first-ever title of Duel King in history.

The Phantom Gods were all ten-star entities, long regarded as symbols of the First King. Hence, we define ten stars as King.”

Zone’s future quartet had long traveled across countless timelines and eras, interacting with innumerable Duelists. For them, a quantified standard to measure Duelist strength was essential—hence this system was established.

“Fudo Yusei is barely at nine stars—nowhere near enough to save this timeline.”

Zone said calmly.

“That is why our intervention is necessary.”

“So now it’s my turn—or rather, Godwin’s turn, correct? I understand.”

You Xuan nodded.

“Then tell me the plan. What exactly do we do?”

Before Zone’s floating device, a projection screen appeared, revealing a massive altar. On it stood a giant Nasca-line image resembling a condor, like those famous ground drawings.

“In the original timeline, Rex Goodwin attempted to open the gates of the Underworld and summon the Lord of the Underworld.”

“He hid an altar in New Domino City, one that resonated with the old perpetual motion machine in the Satellite District, triggering the ritual to summon the Lord of the Underworld.”

You Xuan remembered this plotline: “The ritual to duel the Dragon Sealers, right?”

“Correct,” Zone said. “All you need to do is reenact this ritual as Rex Goodwin.”

You Xuan raised an eyebrow: “So we’re not actually going to open the Underworld’s gate and summon that damn Underworld King, are we?”

“No need. The old perpetual motion machine is under our control.”

Zone said calmly.

“Whether you win or lose the duel, the gate’s opening and closing remain in our hands. The Underworld King may manifest through a projection to instill fear, to pressure the Dragon Sealers and spur further evolution.”

“But in any case, the Underworld King cannot truly descend.”

You Xuan raised an eyebrow.

So we’re just going to drag the Lord of the Underworld out like a dog on a leash, unleash some intimidation, then shove him back in the gate when we’re done?

Is the Underworld King really this low-status?

(End of Chapter)