Chapter 977: Is He the King or the Fool?

【Death Frog, ATK 1900】

【Digital Fishman - Gunner, ATK 100】

The Synchro of the Light Lance was crushed; the invincible Light Lance never descended, forcibly reverting to its pre-Synchro state. That trap card further blocked You Xuan’s ability to summon monsters next turn, effectively forcing him to waste a full turn doing nothing.

“A Synchro trap exclusive to the anime? That’s brutal,” You Xuan said.

Fine, Synchro failed—but banning monster summons is just too much.

“But since you dismantled the Light Lance Dragon’s Synchro, you’ve still performed a ‘special summon from the graveyard.’ So I activate ‘Survival Card’—I draw a card from my deck.”

“Also, I haven’t attacked this turn,” You Xuan said. “Then I’ll attack directly.”

“Attack directly with Death Frog.”

Jack’s field was now empty. Even if Synchro was invalidated and no more monsters could be summoned, direct damage would still be substantial.

Death Frog opened its wide mouth, lined with sharp teeth; dark green venom dripped from between them, hissing as it corroded the ground into charred marks. Its thick hind legs exploded against the ground, launching its entire body like a cannonball toward the opponent. Bone spurs erupted from its webbed feet, gleaming with lethal frost.

“Foolish!”

Fake Jack roared.

“You think I didn’t anticipate this?”

“Activate face-down card: Trap Card ‘Entry Prohibited! No Entry!’”

“Turn all monsters on the field to Defense Position!”

Just as the frog neared its target, a steel fence surged from the ground. Iron chains shot out from nowhere, precisely wrapping around Death Frog’s limbs. The frog let out a gurgling cry, its charge twisting grotesquely midair as it was yanked back to its original spot, curling into a defensive posture. It thrashed its venom sacs in protest, but the chains held it fast, leaving only muffled gurgles from its throat.

You Xuan: “First, activate the effect of Ghost Frog: once per turn, I can return one monster on the field to my hand. I return ‘Ghost Frog’ itself to my hand.”

“I’ll set two cards face-down. End my turn.”

Real Jack grumbled: “This bastard’s defense is tight.”

Fake Jack laughed again: “Of course! I am the King—the true King Jack Atlas! Not some soulless impostor like you!”

Real Jack exploded: “Don’t you dare get too cocky, you bastard!”

“Did I say something wrong?” Fake Jack barked. “You lost your throne, you lost your royal pride—you’re nothing but a clown!”

Real Jack: “You bastard—”

But before he could say more, You Xuan spoke calmly: “Yes, he’s no longer a King. That so-called Duel King? It was always a joke.”

“He was merely a puppet propped up by Goldwin to serve his own ends, yet he drowned in the illusion of being a monarch. How laughable.”

Real Jack stared at him in shock: “You—”

But You Xuan continued: “Yet precisely because of that, he woke up. He broke free from that past, and now walks forward as a true duelist—honestly, proudly.”

“But do you know what’s truly ridiculous? Someone idiotic tries to imitate that clownish King—strutting around like a parody, completely unaware how absurd he looks.”

You Xuan shook his head with a smile.

“Jack has already crossed that threshold and moved into a new era. It’s you—the one mindlessly copying the ghost of that long-dead King—who is truly laughable.”

Real Jack’s expression darkened: “You Xuan—”

Though furious just now, he had no rebuttal for his own impostor. Deep down, he himself felt doubt—he lacked confidence. Somewhere inside, he knew the impostor spoke truth.

He had lost something vital. He was no longer the radiant King he once was, no longer confident, no longer able to face every challenger with the unshakable belief that he was invincible.

The myth had been shattered. Even he began to doubt himself. So when the impostor said he’d lost his royal pride—it was true. Perhaps because of this inner tremor, because he saw his own past reflected in the impostor and found himself wanting, he had lost just now.

Duels are often won by momentum—especially when both duelists use identical decks and tactics, and their skill is nearly equal. If one side wavers, victory becomes impossible.

But now, You Xuan’s words fell like thunder, jolting him into sudden clarity.

That’s right.

I’m no longer a King because I woke up. I recognized the truth—I chose to chase a broader stage with You Xing and others, to evolve into a higher realm.

Then why should I let a discarded shadow from the past mock me?

He awoke. Fake Jack, however, raged.

“You dare look down on the King?” Fake Jack roared. “Then let you witness the consequence of angering a King!”

“My turn, draw!”

“Since I have no monsters on the field, I special summon ‘Evil Dragon’ from my hand!”

【Evil Dragon, ATK 2000】

“Of course, the ATK of this Evil Dragon summoned by this effect is halved.”

【Evil Dragon, ATK 2000 → ATK 1000】

“Then activate my face-down card: Trap Card ‘Resurrection Gift!’”

“I can special summon one Tuner from my graveyard, and the effect of this Tuner summoned by this effect is nullified.”

“Rise from the graveyard—‘Creator Resonator!’”

【Creator Resonator, ATK 800】

“And as a follow-up effect of Resurrection Gift: after summoning a Tuner, I special summon two ‘Gift Tokens’ in Defense Position on my opponent’s field!”

【Gift Token, DEF 1200】x2

Real Jack’s face paled: “Damn—it’s that strategy—”

“Hahaha! Yes! This is the true King’s strategy—the absolute power of annihilation!”

Fake Jack laughed.

“With Level 3 Tuner ‘Creator Resonator!’”

“And Level 5 ‘Evil Dragon!’”

“Synchro!”

【3+5=8】

A searing current swept across the battlefield. The Synchro monster split into twin beams of crimson and black, spiraling skyward. A molten rift tore open in the heavens; burning rings ignited one after another, bathing the entire field in a crimson Synchro glow.

“The King’s roar manifests here—witness this power that shakes heaven and earth!! Synchro Summon!! My soul—Crimson Lotus Dragon!!”

The rings exploded. From the raining fire, a massive claw clad in molten scales emerged first—the ground turned to boiling lava on contact. With a deafening dragon roar, the winged demon dragon tore through space, each scale dripping liquid flame, pale-white mist spurting from its spiked vertebrae, its battle cry forming visible shockwaves in the air.

【Crimson Lotus Dragon, ATK 3000】

“Watch closely—the King’s victory is decided in an instant!”

Fake Jack spun his D-Rail backward, pointing at You Xuan.

“Crimson Lotus Dragon, attack all monsters on the field!”

(End of Chapter)