Is this the poker world?Ada thief!

Chapter 1698 You're right, but this is the Illusionary Wing
With Hayato's declaration, the "rewind time" that was originally just a joke by the Harpy and the Black Feathers actually happened on the field. The scene changed and returned to the moment when the "Raikiri Kirin" move of the Assault Black Feather - Rain of Lightning Bird was about to pounce on Hayato.

"The three cards you chose to destroy are [Crimson Demon], [Psychic Executioner], and the face-down card in my back row." After sending the two cards he had just picked up from the Duel Disk to the Graveyard, Hayato glanced at Alai, who was using an illusion to recreate the scene, and continued, "[Crimson Demon] has two effects. As long as this card is on the field or in the Graveyard, it is treated as [Crimson Dragon]."

"And its second effect: This card can be activated only when it is sent from the Monster Zone to the Graveyard. Special Summon one [Red Dragon] from my Extra Deck as a Synchro Summon."

"The awe-inspiring power of a king is about to be unleashed! Behold the earth-shattering force!"

"Synchro Summon, Level 8☆!"

"Waga Tamashi—[Red Lotus Demon Dragon]!"

【Crimson Dragon】【8☆/Dark】

[Dragon/Synchro/Effect]

[3000/2000]

"Wow, it's a Last Word effect that takes effect when destroyed!" Seeing that his 1500 ATK and DEF of [Crimson Lotus Demon], which he had previously reduced to half with the effect of [Black Feather - Gale of the Gale], was now Special Summoning [Crimson Lotus Demon Dragon] with 3000 ATK using its Last Word effect, Oborokage no Karu was both surprised and somewhat relieved.

Fortunately, I triggered this effect before the battle began. Otherwise, if I had only tested this effect after launching a full-scale attack, I would have been completely unable to deal with the [Crimson Dragon], which has an attack power of 3000. I couldn't very well use the [Black Feather - Heavy Armored Raven], which also has an attack power of 3000, to collide with it, could I?
All resistances do not mean resistance to combat destruction. "Cannot be destroyed by combat" is jokingly referred to as the weakest resistance, but combat destruction is one of the most useful ways to clear the field.

"Then, that face-down card wouldn't be—" Now that Hayato understands the origin of the [Crimson Dragon] on his field, he can probably deduce through the process of elimination that the monster called [Phantom Wing Synchro Dragon] might be the monster that Hayato just chained and Special Summoned by that face-down card.

"No, I can guess what you're thinking, but you're completely wrong." Hayato shook his finger. "My back row card doesn't have the effect of your [Assault Blackwing - Thunder Cutter Bird] to activate. If it could, I would have activated it long ago. Why wait until now? To be precise, [Troublemaker] is a card that only works when the opponent tries to destroy it."

"If this Set card leaves the field, is sent to the Graveyard, or is banished by an opponent's card effect, you can activate this effect and Special Summon One Monster from my Deck or Extra Deck."

"And the monster I'm going to Special Summon is this one—flap your beautiful and magnificent wings and vanquish the enemy at the speed of light! Special Summon, Level 7!"

"Manifest—[Phantom Wing Synchro Dragon]!"

【Phantom Wing Synchro Dragon】【7☆/Wind】

[Dragon/Synchro/Effect]

[2500/2000]

The attack power of [Phantom Wing Synchro Dragon] reveals its status as the "protagonist's ace," and in the anime, it is indeed the ace monster of Yugo, one of the "protagonists." However, like [Ghost Poison Fusion Dragon], [Phantom Wing Synchro Dragon] has an even higher evolutionary form.

So why didn't Hayato just show the higher-level forms directly, but instead chose the initial form, [Transparent Wing Synchro Dragon]? It wasn't that he didn't want to, but that he couldn't—because he only had one [Synchro Dragon] card, the initial form [Transparent Wing Synchro Dragon].

Among the Synchro Monsters currently owned by Hayato, the way [Phantom Wing Synchro Dragon] appeared is somewhat special, because it was a card that somehow ended up among the [Divine Art] and other cards that Hayato retrieved from the "Light Wave" remnants in space.

At the time, the card was just a blank card, but the Kaiba Corporation's spacecraft still collected it and gave it to Hayato. After it came into Hayato's hands, the pure white card gradually revealed a green reflector and a slender, steel-like body. Finally, with a few white remnants on the border serving as proof of the Synchro Monster's identity, it became Hayato's [Phantom Wing Synchro Dragon].

In some ways, its origin is somewhat similar to that of the [Ferocious, Hungry, Poisonous Fusion Dragon]. The former emerged after Hayato demonstrated the power of Synchro in space, while the latter appeared when [Hyperfusion] pushed the power of fusion to its limit. Looking at it this way, Hayato thinks that if he could ever perform Xyz and Pendulum Summoning, he might be able to imprint the other two of the "Four Heavenly Dragons" without using the system.

"2500 ATK? No problem, [Strike Blackwing - Thunder Cutter Bird] can beat it." Although [Phantom Wing Synchro Dragon] is actually much stronger than [Crimson Dragon], Oborogane no Karma is completely unfazed by [Phantom Wing Synchro Dragon], whose ATK and level are both lower. After confirming that he has a monster on his field that can destroy it by battle, he ignores it and turns to look at Hayato's last monster on the field. "But why [Psychic Executioner]? Does it also have resistance to being destroyed by card effects?"

"Just because it won't be destroyed by effects? That's a bit of an underestimation." Hayato explained, "I didn't even think [Psychic Executioner] could stay on the field, since I didn't bring any self-damage cards to reduce its life points, but you activated [Extraordinary Food] to recover life points earlier, didn't you?"

"What's wrong with sending my useless cards to the graveyard to restore my life points?" Oboro no Kage felt that he wasn't sending the [Blackwing] companions to the graveyard, so what was wrong with that?

"You could have activated it during Main Phase 2, or even during my turn, since [Extraordinary Food] is a Quick-Play Spell Card. But you chose to use it before the effect of [Assault Blackwing - Thunderstorm of the Cutter Bird] took effect?" Hayato shrugged, looking completely innocent. "In that case, your Life Points are actually higher than mine."

"And this is the first effect of [Psychic Executioner], which is that if my Life Points are lower than my opponent's Life Points, this card summoned by Synchro Summon is unaffected by the effects activated by my opponent! Although it is a pseudo-all-resistance that is not affected by activated effects, it is enough to withstand the effect of your [Assault Blackwing - Thunderstorm Blade Bird]!"

After hearing Hayato's words, Oboro no Kage's face almost turned black. The key was that he couldn't refute Hayato's words, because his step with [Extraordinary Food] was indeed a mistake, which instead gave [Psychic Executioner] strong resistance.

No, honestly, who would have thought there would be a monster that requires its own Life Points to be lower than the opponent's to activate its effect? ​​Cards like "Gigantify" only change attack power, but yours is "unaffected by the opponent's activated effects," which is disgusting. It even has the advantage of benefiting from your own activated effects, which is better than your "Blackwing - Armored Raven."

The only saving grace was that I had used the effect of [Blackfeather - Star Shadow Bitter Sword Bird] on it before the "pseudo-all resistance" of [Psychic Executioner] took effect, reducing its original high attack power of 3500 points to the current 2700, which is lower than my [Blackfeather - Heavy Armored Winged Raven] which has "all resistance".

To reiterate, the most useless resistance is "Battle Destruction Resistance," but "Battle Destruction" is the most useful means of clearing the field. So what if it's not affected by effects it activates itself? As long as [Blackwing - Heavy Armored Raven] attacks, everything will be fine!
—It's impossible for a monster to have perfect resistances and high attack power, right?

Looking at the monsters on his field, Oboro no Karma said, "I did make a mistake in my operation just now. Because of the effect of your previous [Earthbound Captive - Earth Painting Squid], I was worried that if such an effect happened again, I would be countered and defeated before entering the battle phase without any countermeasures. However, the premature use of [Extraordinary Food] was used by you instead."

"This was my mistake, and the appearance of your 3000-attack [Crimson Dragon] on the field also meant that I couldn't defeat him unless I was prepared to take [Blackwing-Heavy Armored Raven] down with me—but it shouldn't have been like that!"

"Before gaining the power of Synchro, we [Black Feather] were able to survive in the jungle by sacrificing our comrades. But if we still have to rely on our comrades to sacrifice ourselves after gaining the power of Synchro, then the power of Synchro Summoning is meaningless!"

With a wave of his hand, Oboro no Kagekaze announced, "Final Synchro Summon! I will use my Level 2 Tuner monster [Blackwing - Rogue Vatta] and my Level 7 non-Tuner monster [Strike Blackwing - Thunder Cutter Bird] to perform a Level Synchro Material Summon! The Synchro Material requirement is one or more Tuner monsters plus one non-Tuner monster!"

The first effect of [Strike Blackwing - Thunder Cutter Bird], which is Special Summoned by the effect of [Blackwing - Twin Shadows], is invalid because there are no Synchro Materials available, making it unusable as a Tuner Monster. However, this also allows it to now be used for Level Tuning with [Blackwing - Rogue Vatta]!
"Dark wings, churn the clouds and transform into swords that cleave the sky!"

"Synchron Summon, Level 2 + 7 = 9☆!"

"Descend, [Strike Blackwing - Kusanagi no Kusanagi]!"

(ps: animation card)

【Strike Blackwing - Kusanagi no Naginata】【9☆/Dark】

[Bird/Beast Race/Synchro/Effect]

[3000/3000] The naming of monsters in [Blackwing] follows a specific pattern. Ordinary [Blackwing] monsters are often named after celestial phenomena, climate, or wind-related terms, such as [Blackwing - Gale of the Gale]. Some of the "manga cards" in Hayato's memory are named after night scenes combined with the names of cold weapons, such as [Blackwing - Star Shadow of the Bitter Sword Bird]. As a field belonging to [Blackwing], the monsters in [Strike Blackwing] are a combination of the former two, that is, weather conditions combined with the names of famous swords from the East, such as [Strike Blackwing - Rain of the Thunder Cutter Bird].

However, the prototype for the name of [Strike Blackwing - Kusanagi no Kusanagi no Tori] is more famous than the previous "Onimaru Kunitsuna" and "Raikiri" combined. The prefix "Kusanagi" in its name can refer to the celestial phenomenon "Kusanagi" literally, or it can refer to the famous "Kusanagi no Kusanagi no Tsurugi". It was named "Kusanagi no Tsurugi" because Yamato Takeru used it to cut grass when he escaped from a burning jungle trap - this is also recorded in the Kojiki.

(Wa Kenmei (confirmed))

—While it’s hard to explain why [Strike Blackwing - Kusanagi no Tsubasa] doesn’t wield a Kusanagi sword, but rather an eight-branched sword that’s an adaptation of the famous “seven-branched sword” with one more branch than the “seven-branched sword” which has three branches on each side.

"Another monster with an attack power of 3000? Is that the replacement you're planning to use to 'take down' my [Crimson Dragon] in a 'mutual destruction' scenario?" Hayato raised an eyebrow, looking at the unfamiliar monster before him.

Among the physical copies of the [Blackwing] Synchro Monster, there shouldn't be a Level 9 Synchro. He vaguely remembered that this card might have appeared in the famous fan work "A5"—he wasn't entirely sure, and the reason he added "might" was because it was, after all, a fan work, how could he possibly remember the card effects in that work clearly? He had long forgotten about it along with the story!

"It's not a replacement. On the contrary, the [Strike Blackwing - Kusanagi no Murakumo] has the ability to explosively increase attack power, inherited from the [Strike Blackwing - Onimaru no Kagura], and it's the final key to defeating you!"

The Shadow of Karma says, "When [Strike Blackwing - Murakumo no Kusa Naginata] is successfully Synchro Summoned, you can activate its effect: Increase this card's ATK by the sum of the original ATKs of the [Blackwing] Synchro Monsters used as Synchro Material for this card until the end of this turn!"

"Although the only Synchro Monster that can be used as Synchro Material for [Strike Blackwing - Kusanagi no Murakumo] is [Strike Blackwing - Raikou no Raikou], it's enough! [Strike Blackwing - Kusanagi no Murakumo] will gain 2600 ATK from [Strike Blackwing - Raikou no Raikou], resulting in a final ATK of 5600!"

【Strike Blackwing - Kusanagi no Naginata】【ATK3000→】

Seeing the attack power of [Strike Blackwing - Murakumo no Kusa Naginata] begin to fluctuate and surge, Hayato waved his hand without hesitation and said, "The battle of Duel Monsters is not only a battle of will and luck, but also a battle of intelligence, so crow, don't blame me for being despicable—"

"—Blame your [Strike Blackwing - Murakumo no Kusa Naginata] for being too high-level, and for activating its effect when I already had [Phantom Wing Synchro Dragon] on my field!"

"A two-way mirror!"

Upon receiving Hayato's command, his [Phantom Wing Synchro Dragon], which had only 2500 attack power and was not considered a threat by Oboro no Karasu, suddenly moved. After adjusting the angle of its mirrors, it refracted all the sunlight shining down from the sky onto [Strike Blackwing - Murakumo no Kusanagi Naginata], which was about to absorb Synchro Material energy!?

In the instant the clusters of light spots overlapped, a terrifying high temperature erupted. The [Strike Blackwing - Murakumo no Kusa Naginata], which had many feathers and looked weak against fire, was instantly engulfed by the raging flames!

"The first effect of 【Phantom Wing Synchro Dragon】can be activated once per turn when the effect of another Level 5 or higher monster on the field is activated. Negate that activation and destroy it!"

The strange effect of [Phantom Wing] is not weakened because it is the original form of [Synchronous Dragon] in the same series. On the contrary, although the "effect of a Level 5 or higher monster on the field" is a limitation, it is enough to deal with the opponent's monsters in most situations - such as now, negating or even destroying the effect of [Strike Blackwing - Murakumo no Kusa Naginata]!

"boom!"

Amidst the raging flames, the body of [Strike Blackwing - Murakumo no Kusanagi Naginata] was completely incinerated, but with its last strength, it shot out a black feather, which pierced the body of [Phantom Wing Synchro Dragon] like an arrow. Although it did not cause any damage for the time being, [Blackwing - Heavy Armored Raven] was watching it intently from the side.

“As I mentioned before, the effect of [Blackwing - Heavy Armored Crow] is to place a Wedge Counter on a monster you control when its effect is activated.” Oborogure no Karma watched regretfully as her partner left the field, leaving only the three-monster monster on her own field, before turning to Hayato and saying, “This means that if that monster isn’t destroyed by battle at the end of my turn, it will also be destroyed by the effect of [Blackwing - Heavy Armored Crow]!”

"Then you probably have no hope of destroying it in battle." Hayato raised an eyebrow. "Because [Phantom Wing Synchro Dragon] has an effect that if this card's effect destroys a monster, this card's ATK increases by the original ATK of the monster destroyed by this card's effect until the end of the turn."

The light from the ignited [Strike Blackwing - Murakumo no Kusa Naginata] spread out, and after the light-transmitting mirror adjusted its angle, it instead shone the light onto [Phantom Wing Synchro Dragon]. The scattered light spots did not have the destructive power they had before; instead, they began to charge the [Phantom Wing Synchro Dragon], which was equipped with a solar charging panel!
[Phantom Wing Synchro Dragon] [Wedge Counter 0→1] [ATK 2500→5500]

Meanwhile, Oboro no Kage suddenly realized that even though he had been in the lead until now, how come the monsters on Hayato's field had higher attack power than his own as the battle progressed?

"I still have this card in my graveyard!" Admitting he had misjudged the situation by underestimating [Phantom Wing Synchro Dragon], Oboro no Karma said, "But judging from that monster's effect, it seems to primarily aim to hinder the opponent's monsters' effects to increase its attack power, right? Compared to your [Psychic Executioner], that monster has no resistances and is the most suitable target for this card!"

"If I control a [Blackwing] Synchro Monster, banish [Blackwing - Lower Moon Light Bow Bird] from my Graveyard, and target one face-up card on your opponent's field to activate its effect!"

"My chosen target is naturally—your highest attack power on the field, the [Phantom Wing Synchro Dragon]!"

Previously, the intention was to use the effect of [Blackwing - Radiant Sodri] to release [Blackwing - Lower Moon Bowbird] to the Graveyard. This couldn't have been solely because Shadow of Karma needed [Radiant Tokens] to collect both Tuner and non-Tuner monsters. After all, [Blackwing - Lower Moon Bowbird] is a Tuner monster of the same level. His real purpose was to utilize the effect of [Blackwing - Lower Moon Bowbird], which can take effect in the Graveyard.

However, his original plan was to use this effect to destroy even the last Continuous Spell Card on Hayato's field after the effect of [Assault Blackwing - Lightning Slasher Bird] ended, leaving Hayato no chance to counterattack. But he didn't expect that Hayato's field lineup would keep getting destroyed and that [Blackwing - Lower Moon Light Bow Bird] would still be around now.

But it's not too late! My [Strike Blackwing - Murakumo no Kusa Naginata] has already detected two of the opponent's monster's effects. Although its attack power is high, as long as I destroy it with its effects, then—

"Your next sentence is, no matter how high your attack power is, it's meaningless if you can't unleash it!"

"No matter how high your attack power is, if you can't unleash it, it's useless—what!?" Oboro no Kage was utterly shocked, completely unexpected that Hayato had said the same thing at the same time as him, as if he could read minds!

"Pretending to be mysterious is pointless!" Oboro no Karma quickly recovered and said, "Once your [Phantom Wing Synchro Dragon] is destroyed, you'll only have two monsters left on the field. Pretending to be mysterious now won't save you!"

“You’re right, but this is [Phantom Wing Synchro Dragon]. Its first effect can counter the effects of high-level monsters on the field, its third effect absorbs the ATK of destroyed monsters, and its second effect can counter the effects of high-level monsters. It’s flawless in both offense and defense!” Hayato snapped his fingers. “Who told you that after testing out two effects, my [Phantom Wing Synchro Dragon] has no other effects?”

"Once per turn, when the effect of a monster that targets only Level 5 monsters on the field is activated, you can negate that activation and destroy it!"

"Although we can't absorb the attack power of the [Blackwing - Lower Moon Light Bowbird] which has already been excluded, the [Phantom Wing Synchro Dragon] - won't be destroyed!"

The Blackwing-Lower Moon Light Bowbird, appearing in phantom form, fired an arrow of light. The power contained within it seemed capable of crushing any powerful enemy. However, the Phantom Wing Synchro Dragon simply reached out and caught the incoming arrow, crushing it in one swift motion!
The muscles on his face, covered by blue mask, twitched slightly, revealing an expression that seemed to be a sneer, as if to say, "Such a weak attack."

"5500 attack power. Don't underestimate this bird! Do you think that can eliminate my chance of victory?!" However, even at this moment, Oboro no Kage still did not give up, shouting, "My last card still holds the hope of defeating it!"

"Spell Card [Inherited Power] activated!"

Under Hayato's subtle gaze, Oboro no Kage played a card that he knew all too well.

　Long time no see, 6K! Could you please give me some recommendation votes? Thank you!
　　

(End of this chapter)