Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

Perhaps this is one of the powers possessed by the yet-to-be-born "Absolute King"? In fact, this "cocoon" was not so much found by the united elves from some remote corner, but rather it appeared on its own initiative. After all, the area where it was located was the original heart of the forest, which could not be ignored. Yet, before it grew to the size of a human, no elf had ever discovered its existence.

Even though it has been referred to as a "cocoon," this perfectly round sphere in front of us is more like a pearl or a precious gem than a cocoon formed by an insect. Beneath its translucent shell, there are even faint, cheerful chirping sounds emanating from it, making one wonder if something inside has already hatched but is too lazy to break out and is just frolicking inside. Moreover, there is more than one indistinct chirping sound.

"It would be too lonely for one person to sit alone on the throne, so perhaps our 'King of the Sky and Wind' is a twin?" Hayato didn't roost in the forest with the birds, but instead sat alone in an open space, casually making sarcastic remarks to the other spirits.

He could feel the special pressure coming from inside the "cocoon," but it was like having to step on every square when walking or he would "die." It was somewhat restrictive, but not much different from having none at all.

In contrast, [Black Feather - Shadow of Karma] was one of those restricted by that oppressive feeling. Even though it was Hayato's spirit, it still couldn't approach the open space and could only stay outside. Hearing Hayato's words, he couldn't help but say, "This is no laughing matter... After all, although they are temporarily restrained, there are many spirits here who want to eliminate that 'King' as soon as he is born to prevent themselves from being affected."

As mentioned before, the prophecy had already spread throughout the forest. The actions of the Black Feathers were based on not wanting the prophesied power to fall into the hands of other tribes. Wouldn't the other elves also want to do the same? They gathered here partly because they were attracted by the commotion and wanted to confirm as soon as possible whether the being about to be born could become an aid to their tribe. On the other hand, they also wanted to eliminate this power as soon as they confirmed that it could not help their tribe, so as to prevent it from falling into the hands of others.

The Harpy and Black Feather have been temporarily recruited by Hayato and are willing to follow his command. The two tribes can barely handle the elves gathered in this open space, but a bloody storm is inevitable in the future.

"Are you worried that this force will affect the balance of power in the forest?" Hayato pointed to himself with a thumbs up. "That's easy, I'll just defeat your 'King', won't I? Rather, I came here to enjoy more interesting duels."

"Although you are strong, you are not that simple, are you?" The leader of the Harpy Sisters, Harpy 1, stood beside Harpy Queen as a guard and couldn't help but retort to Hayato, "Even if no one knows what the power in the prophecy is, if someone can be defeated so easily, they are not worthy of being called the 'Absolute King'."

“Well… there’s no harm in trying.” As he spoke, Hayato stood up and turned to look at the “cocoon” in front of him.

At first, she didn't quite understand why Hayato suddenly stood up while talking. Just as the [Harp Queen] was about to say something, several seconds later, she suddenly felt the pressure coming from the "cocoon" in front of her relax.

"Could it be!?" A possibility occurred to her. She looked at the temporary leader of the [Black Feathers], [Black Feather - Great Banner of the Vanquishing], and found that he was also looking at her. She immediately realized that they had thought of the same thing.

Many Pokémon, like them, sensed the change in the clearing. Immediately, many rushed out of the forest, eager to be the first to reach the center of the clearing before the others, at least not letting Hayato, who had been sitting in the center for a long time and attracted attention, get there first.

[Black Feather - Great Banner of Attack] was about to act when [Black Feather - Shadow of Karma] stopped him, as Hayato raised his hand to signal them not to act rashly.

Their confusion was answered in an instant, because the giant "cocoon" in the center of the open space, which had been weakening, suddenly lit up with a strong light a few seconds after Hayato raised his hand. Not only did it release a pressure far greater than before, but its surface also began to crack like an eggshell!

"Crack!"

A powerful airflow, like compressed air, erupted from inside the giant "cocoon." After accumulating enough time inside, the violent storm shot out in all directions through the cracks in the outer shell. Under the strong wind that seemed to cut through space, the elves who had dared to trespass into the open space were blown away in an instant. The weaker ones didn't even last until they left the open space before being blown to death in mid-air by the aftershocks of the gale!

However, Hayato, who was steadily moving forward, was not attacked by any gale. Instead, he only felt the gentle breeze surrounding him, bringing a comfortable coolness.

"I see, no wonder I felt a sense of familiarity..." Hayato's eyes brightened slightly as he looked at the nearly broken "cocoon" as if he were seeing old friends. "So it was you who were reincarnated from that world...?"

The giant "cocoon" finally shattered completely at this moment, but the jade-like fragments did not fly outwards with the gale. Instead, they were pulled back to the center by another airflow. The so-called "absolute king" that had finally completed its development inside the "cocoon" also finally revealed its true form and actively moved closer to Hayato.

Some of the elves who had been watching were right, because the being born from that "cocoon" was indeed not just one, but it wasn't the so-called "twins" that Hayato casually joked about, but rather a total of three bodies.

Three seemingly weak and powerless birds circled around Hayato, carried by the air currents in an endless flight that seemed to never end. The wind also dressed them in clothes reshaped from eggshells, making the three little birds look like professional travelers.

The so-called "Absolute King" ultimately appeared in the form of such a weak bird, shocking countless elves behind Hayato. However, to Hayato, these little birds were actually quite strong—and closer to the pure Winged Beast race than many of the decks he had previously guessed. In terms of the deck's concept, it could even be considered the embodiment of "freedom," the essence of the Winged Beast race.

Surrounding Hayato is [The Wanderer], a monster characterized by continuous Normal Summoning, primarily composed of Winged Beast Monsters, extremely effective against Special Summoned Monsters, and even well-suited for adding [Sky Dragon of Osiris] to decks to deal with mirror matches. It is also famous for its cute card art, interesting card combinations, and the fact that it can eat cockroaches and is not afraid of eating [G-Proliferation] because it is a bird!

—Anyway, its fame has absolutely nothing to do with using [Wind Barrier Statue] to annoy people. After all, look at how [Wind-Traveling Bird] is summoned—it's such an ancient high-level summon, the card art is so cute, and it doesn't really focus on heavy traps—it's impossible for it to be some kind of shady deck (I'm sure of it).

However, the reason why Hayato felt familiar with the three little creatures modeled after Arctic terns was not because he had played many games with the [Wind-Walking Bird] player, who was even worse off than the [Cloud Monster] player and had not yet received any reinforcements from their own faction. Rather, it was because he could clearly sense that the underlying essence of these three little guys' souls was something he had encountered before, and even more so because he had destroyed the cards that housed their souls in the past.

It may be hard to believe, but back when Duel Academy Island was undeveloped and not even bought, the [Uncharted Territory] card, a byproduct of a mad alchemist's "human transmutation" experiments, which was created by a certain mad alchemist who occupied the island and used it as his research base, and whose entire deck was later destroyed by Hayato after he defeated him, seems to be the past life of the three little birds in front of us.

(See Chapter 25 of Volume 8)

Hayato casually remarked, "If there's a next life, I want to be a bird," but little did he know that the souls that were liberated at that time seemed to have been transferred from Duel Academy Island to the Pokémon World, and even integrated into this world to be reincarnated as the "Absolute King" who was prophesied to be chosen.

"So, you're a hammer snake, you're a stag hare, and you're a thunderbird?" Stroking the three little birds that were very close to him, Hayato accurately understood what they were trying to say from the incomprehensible "bird language" of the [Wind-Walking Birds] that were nodding and shaking their heads. "Right or wrong? Well, that's all in the past. Now you just need to be free birds."

"Not only the three of you, but also the other six souls from the [Unbounded Realm] have transformed into birds along with you? This makes me a little curious as to which [Wind-Walking Bird] each of them corresponds to."

Hayato and the [Wind-Traveling Bird] got along happily, but the birds and beasts in the forest cast very unfriendly glances at Hayato, who had easily gained the favor of the so-called "Absolute King." Moreover, the unexpected appearance of the [Wind-Traveling Bird] made them suddenly doubt the reliability of the prophecy.

Leaving aside abstract beings like towering, mighty divine birds or the embodiment of storms, even a beautiful being like a harpy could barely convince them of the authenticity of the "Wind-Walking Birds" identity. But these are just a few small birds that can be seen everywhere in the forest, as numerous as stray dogs on the roadside.

"Absolute King"? Who can accept that?

"Although it's uncertain whether that is truly the existence foretold in the prophecy..." A voice came, and Hayato looked up at the sound. He saw a girl wearing a golden bird-head crown and dressed as a priestess walk out from among the birds and beasts and stand in front of Hayato. "But warriors who do not belong to us sacred birds and beasts, leave behind the power of the 'Absolute King' and then retreat."

"Leave now, and no one will get hurt. Otherwise, I will set your life on fire!"

"This outfit looks familiar," Hayato said, glancing at the girl in front of him and raising an eyebrow. "If you want it, come and get it yourself. You know the rules."

Upon hearing this, the girl sighed regretfully: "I knew you would say that, people whose hearts are blinded by greed..."

"I don't even know how many times I've burned a fool like you for my god." With a wave of her hand, flames suddenly ignited on the girl's left arm, and then a duel disk emerged from the fire and was put on her.

"I find the same question difficult to answer. In my memory, I've taken down countless mediocre people who thought they were better than me." Hayato sighed and was about to take out his card when the [Wind-Traveling Birds] flew up to him and started chirping.

"You guys want to help me fight? I see. I have no reason to refuse you." With a shrug, Hayato watched as the three little guys flew into his hand, transforming into a whole deck of cards. They even thoughtfully included a few cards that Hayato himself would have taken out and added even if they hadn't printed them out, as if they had already experienced Hayato's duels and were simply preparing everything for him—in reality, they really had already experienced Hayato's duels.

"How thoughtful. So—this time, I'm playing a 'pure [Wind-Walking Bird] deck!'" Hayato said, shuffling a few [Wind-Walking Bird] cards that he couldn't print but still liked to use into his deck. He looked at the girl opposite him.

"Duel!" x2

[Kobayashi Hayato: 4000LP, 5 cards in hand]

[“Mysterious Girl”: 4000LP, 5 cards in hand]

Chapter 1729 Move, Theo, why aren't you moving!

"I'll take the first turn! Draw!" Hayato, who understands the principle of "five cards for the first player, none for the second," naturally wanted to take the initiative by drawing a card from his deck first, especially since he was playing the [Wind-Traveling Bird] deck.

While it doesn't have a catchy theme song like the [Summoner] deck that almost categorizes Duel Monsters as a music-themed deck to describe its opening, the [Windwalker] deck's opening is actually quite easy to understand; basically, summoning a card first is always a good idea.

"Spell Card [Planet Terraforming] activated. Search my deck for one Field Spell Card and add it to my hand." Hayato waved his hand, and a card appeared. "If you were to travel, where would you like to go?"

"I add the Field Spell Card 'Wind-Walking Bird and Mysterious Map' to my hand, and then activate it!"

Despite being called a Field Spell Card, the surrounding environment remained unchanged, still within the original forest. The only difference between Hayato activating the card and its activation was that behind him, three [Wind-Traveling Birds] were flying in the air, each carrying a rather textured wooden map, chattering as if discussing where they would travel next.

The "mysterious girl" didn't seem too concerned about the map card activated by Hayato. After all, her elven tribe, like the Harpy, had its own methods for dealing with spell trap cards, so the effect of Hayato's field spell card wouldn't have much of an impact.

Hayato then explained: "The first step in traveling is to confirm your destination. Once you have a clear goal, you won't feel lost anymore. During my Main Phase, I can activate the first effect of the Field Spell Card 'Wind-Traveling Bird and Mysterious Map'. I reveal one Level 1 'Wind-Traveling Bird' monster from my hand to my opponent, and then banish one 'Wind-Traveling Bird' card from my Deck with a different name than the revealed monster. After that, I Summon the monster that was revealed to my opponent."

“I reveal the Level 1☆ [Windwalker x Bald Eagle] from my hand, then banish the [Windwalker x Robin] from my deck, and then Normal Summon the [Windwalker x Bald Eagle].

On the map above Hayato, the city icon corresponding to the United States in reality lit up. A portal to a bustling metropolis opened out of thin air, and under the dazzling lights, a giant raptor with enormous wings suddenly took flight, soaring through the air as if surveying a new territory. Its image was none other than the bald eagle, the national bird of the United States, which was legislated to become the "national bird."

【Migratory Bird on the Wind × Bald Eagle】【1☆/Wind】

[Bird/Beast Race/Effect]

[800/1000]

"Level 1☆?" Looking at the newly appeared monster, not only the "mysterious girl" opposite Hayato, but also the other bird-beast spirits around them increasingly underestimated the power of [Windwalker]. Were they really going to believe that a monster with no stats or star rating could unleash any real power?

"Is level important? The effect should be more important, right?" Hayato retorted, waving his hand. "When [Windbird x Bald Eagle] is successfully summoned, its effect activates. However, similarly, [Windbird x Robin], even when banished, also has its effect activated."

"Self-chain C1 [Wind-Walking Bird x Bald Eagle] C2 [Wind-Walking Bird x Robin] First is the effect of [Wind-Walking Bird x Robin]: If this card is banished and I have a Winged Beast monster on my field that I can activate, add this card to my hand."

"Then there's the effect of [Wind-Traveling Bird x Bald Eagle]: If it is successfully summoned, add one Level 7 or higher Winged Beast monster from my Deck to my hand. After that, you can summon one Winged Beast monster."

Hearing that Hayato's Field Spell Cards not only grant additional summons, but also that the effect of [Wind-Traveling Bird x Bald Eagle] grants additional summons, the "Mysterious Girl" was completely oblivious to the fact that the characteristics of the [Wind-Traveling Bird] deck were already beginning to emerge: "What's the point of letting you Normal Summon such weak monsters five times to fill the field? There's nothing to be afraid of."

"Then you'd better not be afraid." Hayato recycled the banished [Windwalker x Robin] into his hand, and then used the effect of [Windwalker x Bald Eagle] to search for it. "Under the effect of [Windwalker x Bald Eagle], I add the Level 10 [Windwalker x Emperor Penguin] from my deck to my hand, and then summon the [Windwalker x Robin] that I just recycled."

Because the summon was performed using the effect of [Windwalker x Bald Eagle], Hayato still held onto one normal summon without using it. Following [Windwalker x Bald Eagle], the clock tower icon on [Windwalker and the Mystery Map] that corresponds to the location of Victoria in the human world lit up, and accompanied by a clear and melodious chirping sound, a robin flew out.

【Migratory Bird on the Wind × Robin】【1☆/Water】

[Bird/Beast Race/Effect]

[600/1200]

One reason why the [Flying Birds] monsters are primarily summoned as "Normal Summon (NS)" is that the Arctic tern, their prototype, migrates from the far north to the far south. This is why the attributes of [Flying Bird x Bald Eagle] and [Flying Bird x Robin] seem random, but are actually divided into wind and water attributes based on their geographical location in the eastern and western hemispheres. The same applies to other [Flying Birds] monsters that have not yet appeared.

The robin, also known as the "Red-breasted Robin," is a national bird, just like the "White-headed Eagle." However, it is much cuter than the "Wind-Walking Bird × White-headed Eagle," which is still fierce even when it becomes a card monster. After perching on the branch extending from its own card image, it even picked up a few fruits and tossed them to Hayato as a sign of friendliness.

Hayato caught the fruit, watched it transform into a card, smiled and nodded to Robin, then explained, "Like [Windwalker x Bald Eagle], [Windwalker x Robin] also has an effect that can be activated when the summon is successful."

"Add one Level 4 or lower Winged Beast monster from my Deck to my hand, and then I can Summon one Winged Beast monster."

"I add the Rank 4☆ [Wind Barrier Statue] to my hand, and then Tribute Summon [Wind-Traveling Bird x Robin] and [Wind-Traveling Bird x Bald Eagle] that I control!"

"The Destroyer of the Antarctic World, the Emperor Emperor Emperor Enterprise!"

Before the baobab tree representing Africa and the Amazon rainforest representing South America on the map, the penguin icon representing Antarctica at the bottom of the 【Migratory Birds and Mysterious Map】 lit up. Then, a penguin's head popped out of the map, as if asking everyone present, "Want to top up your QQ coins?"

The monster that appears in exchange for freeing Hayato's two monsters on the field is the "Emperor Penguin," a level 10☆ and the largest of the penguin family. However, it is more commonly known as the Emperor Penguin, and Hayato prefers to call it "Emperor Penguin Bro." Just like the previous [Windwalker x Bald Eagle], although penguins have lost their ability to fly and cannot fly, it does not prevent [Windwalker x Emperor Penguin] from being classified as a wind attribute due to its geographical location.

【Migratory Birds on the Wind × Emperor Penguin】【10☆/Wind】

[Bird/Beast Race/Effect]

[2700/1000]

To be honest, although the [Windwalker x Emperor Penguin] card still looks "cute" like the other two [Windwalkers], its level and stats immediately stunned the surrounding bird-beast spirits. Why didn't you say you had a high-level monster in your deck? That 2700 ATK is more powerful than anything else!

After all, Winged Beast monsters have never been known for their attack power. Even in the future, the Winged Beast monster with the highest attack power will only be a Rank 13 Xyz monster with 4000 attack power in a [RR] deck with "Iron Will and Steel Strength". In the current era, the [Blackwing] deck already has 3000 attack power in the [Strike Blackwing - God-Standing Onimaru Blade Bird], which Hayato has already seen in duels.

2700 attack power... That's the highest attack power the Harpies can unleash. The so-called "absolute king of birds and beasts" should have this value to be worthy of the title.

However, the "mysterious girl" was not impressed by the attack power of the [Wind-Walking Bird × Emperor Penguin] and said disdainfully, "A mere 2700 points of attack power is nothing special. It is far inferior to that being, not to mention that being has the powerful ability to be immortal and destroy everything."

"But... why didn't those two monsters enter your graveyard?" The "mysterious girl" asked curiously, looking at the two [Wind-Traveling Birds] that had returned to the map they had passed through after being freed, instead of entering the graveyard.

“This is also one of the common effects of the lower-level [Windwalker]. If a face-up [Windwalker x Robin] or [Windwalker x Bald Eagle] leaves my field, it will be banished. This effect is a passive effect that does not need to be activated.” Hayato said, looking at the “mysterious girl” whose expression had suddenly changed. “And judging from your expression, you realize what this means, right?”

"Like other lower-ranking [Windwalker], [Windwalker x Emperor Penguin] also has an effect that activates upon successful summoning: add one [Windwalker] Spell/Trap Card from my Deck to my hand, and can also summon it once more after that."

After a pause, Hayato waved his hand again, "Although the effect of [Windwalker x Robin] was already used when it was recycled just now, and its effect is limited to once per turn by the card name, I haven't used the third effect of [Windwalker x Bald Eagle] yet. If I have a Winged Beast Monster - [Windwalker x Emperor Penguin] - Summoned while it is banished, I will add it to my hand."

"Self-propelled chain C1 [Migratory Bird x Emperor Penguin] C2 [Migratory Bird x Bald Eagle]!"

The monster that had just been released was back in his hand in the blink of an eye. Hayato snapped his fingers: "The card I will search for with [Wind-Traveling Bird x Emperor Penguin] is this Continuous Spell Card [Wind-Traveling Bird and Unknown Wind]. Then, by the effect of [Wind-Traveling Bird x Emperor Penguin], I will Normal Summon this Winged Beast Monster in my hand in Defense Position - [Gale Barrier Statue].

Visually, it's a verdant statue of a crouching bird-beast warrior lying on Hayato's field, exuding a sense of "holiness." Above it, a halo with mysterious inscriptions expands to cover both sides' fields. It's more like a field spell card than "Wind-Walking Bird and Mysterious Map," but its effect doesn't bring any changes to Hayato's monsters—at least for now, nothing special seems to be happening.

【Barrier Statue of Gale】【4☆/Wind】

[Bird/Beast Race/Effect]

[1000/1000]

"This turn, I haven't used my most basic Normal Summon yet. I'll Normal Summon 'Face Bat' to my field in Defense Position." Then, he casually played a seemingly ordinary weak monster and played several cards on the back field. "Then, I activated the Continuous Spell Card 'Wind-Traveling Bird and Unknown Wind' and set two cards."

My turn is over.

【小林隼人：4000LP，手牌5→6→6→5→4→5→5→5→4→1】

【Migratory Birds on the Wind × Emperor Penguin】【ATK2700】

[Barrier Statue of Gale] [DEF1000]

【Face-faced Bat】【1☆/Land】