Chapter 927: That

“Blackfeather·Armor Wing, attack ‘Phantom King·Rabiel’!”

Armor Wing, with only 2500 attack, spread its wings and charged at Rabiel—the staggering size difference made it look like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

You Xuan squinted: “But this card’s effect is—”

At that moment, Armor Wing punched the Phantom King—yet, given the vast power gap, Rabiel didn’t budge at all, as if a mosquito had collided with him, utterly unresponsive.

But of course, Armor Wing couldn’t be destroyed by battle, so it remained unharmed.

Yet as Armor Wing pulled back, those with sharp eyes might catch a glimpse of a tiny object, like a nail, left embedded on Rabiel’s massive body.

Kuro: “Armor Wing’s monster effect! This card reduces your battle damage to zero, and after battle, you can place a wedge counter on the monster you battled!”

Saying “K-language” means placing a wedge counter.

“Now use Armor Wing’s effect again!” Kuro barked, “By removing a placed wedge counter, until the end of this turn, the monster with the counter has its attack and defense reduced to zero!”

“Oh?” You Xuan said. “This effect can be activated during the Battle Phase?”

He thought for a moment—it was true. In the anime, Armor Wing often removed the wedge counter immediately after placing it, within the same Battle Phase, letting other Blackfeathers follow up with the finishing blow.

That was far stronger than the real card. The real Armor Wing’s effect seemed identical to the anime at first glance, but in the real card, you could only remove the wedge counter during your Main Phase.

That meant if Armor Wing attacked and placed a wedge, you had to end the Battle Phase before removing it—meaning the earliest you could reduce the targeted monster’s attack to zero and strike again was your next turn.

This made it far less efficient. Delaying a turn introduced too many variables—the opponent might use the wedge-marked monster as material next turn, or Armor Wing might not even survive until then.

Kuro: “Reduce Phantom King·Rabiel’s attack to zero!”

The wedge counter vanished, and cracks immediately spread from the point of impact across Rabiel’s body—cracks radiated like a spiderweb across his chest, turning the colossal Phantom into a ceramic vessel on the verge of shattering, covered in fractures.

【Phantom King·Rabiel, ATK 4000 → ATK 0】

“Attack again!”

Kuro roared.

“Blackfeather·Black Lance·Blast, attack ‘Phantom King·Rabiel’!”

This highlighted the true power of the anime’s Armor Wing—its effect activated in the same Battle Phase, allowing teammates to follow up instantly. The bird-warrior Black Lance leapt forward, its spiral spear exploding outward, piercing through Rabiel’s cracked chest with a transparent vortex.

A thunderous crash echoed as Rabiel’s body collapsed into countless shards, crumbling into a heap of ruins.

【You Xuan, LP 7400 → LP 5700】

“How’s that! We took down the strongest Phantom!” Kuro said. “This is the power of my Blackfeathers—when our bonds unite, no enemy is too strong!”

You Xuan brushed dust off his clothes: “That part is indeed true.”

But he shifted tone and smiled.

“Still, even with your beloved Blackfeathers, your level hasn’t reached where it should be.”

“Nani?”

Kuro glared, furious.

“What did you say?”

Questioning his strength was fine—even if he hated to admit it, Kuro knew the truth: this man was strong, likely stronger than him. Facing Gothwin one-on-one, he’d have no chance.

But this wasn’t about questioning his strength—it was about questioning his control of the Blackfeathers, questioning his bond with his monsters!

That he couldn’t tolerate.

“The potential of Blackfeathers is far greater than you imagine, Kuro Hogan. What you’ve unleashed so far is only a tiny fraction.”

You Xuan paused, his gaze sweeping over the other two.

“In fact, whether it’s Yusei Fudo, Jack Atlas, or you—your decks all hold the same truth. Your decks still hold infinite potential, but whether you can evolve to that level, whether you can unlock that potential, depends entirely on you.”

All three felt a quiet shock.

What’s he suddenly talking about?

Indeed, Yusei’s Synchros, Jack’s Resonators, Kuro’s Blackfeathers—all were later enhanced with far greater power than their current generation could imagine. Right now, their decks and their skills were still immature, with vast room to grow.

But then again, if they weren’t like this, You Xuan wouldn’t have bothered fighting them. His role as the villain here was precisely to push them to advance faster.

So You Xuan smiled again: “Still, no matter how great the potential, if it never awakens, it’s just potential. To unlock it, to evolve—you first have to survive today.”

Kuro gritted his teeth: “Don’t get too cocky—”

“My Battle Phase is over, but my turn isn’t!”

He played another card from his hand.

“Activate Spell Card ‘Shield Break’! Destroy one face-down defense-position monster on the field!”

“Destroy the ‘Chaos Phantom’ you turned to defense position, Yusei!”

A green magical beam, like a spear, pierced through the defensive black sludge on You Xuan’s field—the chaotic vortex exploded outward, shattering into fragments.

Kuro: “Besides Rabiel, your Chaos Phantom can transform back into a Phantom next turn. Don’t think I forgot that!”

“I’ve got a counter for this!”

He drew two more cards.

“Set two cards face-down, end my turn!”

Kuro slammed his fist down.

“Bring on your Phantoms, your tricks, your whatever! Our bond with our monsters, our bond as a team—we will never lose!”

“Hahahaha, good, good. That’s the spirit.”

You Xuan clapped.

“Exactly. With bond, nothing is impossible. Keep this up.”

The three: “...”

A world-destroying opponent just stole their own catchphrases—you couldn’t tell if he was mocking them or not.

“But it’s not enough. Not enough.”

You Xuan shook his head.

“This level of passion won’t defeat me, nor will it truly destroy a Phantom.”

Yusei’s heart tightened.

Truly destroy...? Could that Phantom have just come back from the dead?

(End of Chapter)