When people meet and become good friends, they influence each other and grow together.
Crow and Shinji had known each other since childhood. Shinji was the first "outsider" Crow met besides Yusei and Jack. Because both of their Decks were called "BF," they quickly became close.
As residents of the Lower District, they both loved Dueling. Their Duel styles were detailed and technical, so they often exchanged ideas, sparred, and improved together.
The turning point in their lives may have come when Crow was busy fighting Duel gangs alongside Kiryū, Yusei, and Jack, searching for meaning in his life, while Shinji chose a different path.
He pursued the dream of becoming a professional Duelist and challenged the Upper District.
But at that time, he was not strong enough.
He lost.
And the Upper District Duelist who defeated him said this:
"Your cards are trash. You don't deserve to Duel."
To a Duelist, nothing was more unforgivable than having their cards insulted.
He could not accept it.
He could never accept it.
Already burdened by the massive inequality between the Upper and Lower Districts, Shinji's resentment turned into hatred that day.
He could not accept that children in the Lower District struggled to survive while those in the Upper District freely enjoyed their lives.
He could not accept that the Upper District held his beloved cards in contempt.
Perhaps…
His future had been decided in that moment.
Relationships often break after periods of separation. Even childhood friends may no longer recognize each other.
They assume the other person is still the same.
But slowly, differences appear.
Conflicts grow.
And one day, everything shatters.
They ask the same question.
Why can't you understand me? Why did you change?
Perhaps…
Neither of them had changed.
But now, the Duel had reached its climax.
"I activate a Spell Card!
Mystical Space Typhoon!"
Crow's card fired a vortex of wind.
"I destroy your Battlewasp Wind!"
Shinji's Continuous Spell shattered.
"Then, I set one card and end my turn."
"My turn… Draw!"
Shinji drew.
"Crow… I always considered you my best friend."
"I consider everyone my friend."
"No matter what…"
Shinji raised his arm.
"I will defeat you! I will lead our people and overthrow the Upper District!"
"Even if it costs my life!"
His voice became unhinged.
"Come!"
"Take my life!"
"You understand my anger, don't you?"
"You understand this suffering!"
The crimson mark on his body glowed.
Behind him, the faint shadow of an Earthbound Immortal appeared.
"We're going, Crow!"
"I activate the effect of Battlewasp – Rapier the Onslaught!"
The swarm returned.
Once again
Expansion.
Two Synchro Monsters appeared.
Battlewasp – Sachi the Ceremonial Bow-Level 6-ATK 2400
Battlewasp – Halberd the Charge-Level 6-ATK 2500
"Crow!"
"Your Black-Winged Dragon and Blackwing – Zephyros the Elite are in Attack Position!"
"If my attack succeeds, I win!"
The police watching all realized it too.
But Shinji stopped.
"However."
He stared at Crow.
"I know you."
"That set card must be protection."
Crow did not answer.
That silence confirmed it.
Shinji's expression darkened.
"You thought Battlewasp – Ballista the Armageddon was my ultimate weapon…"
"But everything has changed! I will launch the final revolution!"
"I tune my two monsters!"
Crow's eyes widened.
"Gather, wings of resistance!"
"Become the spear that raises the flag of revolution!"
"Synchro Summon!"
"Level 12!"
Battlewasp – Grand Partisan the Revolution!
A massive mechanical warship appeared.
Battlewasp – Grand Partisan the Revolution - ATK 3000
"3000 ATK…"
Crow frowned.
The same as Blackwing Full Armor Master.
But then...
"Grand Partisan's effect!"
"All Insect Synchro Monsters gain 200 ATK for each banished Insect!"
"I have 6 banished monsters!"
"Grand Partisan gains 1200 ATK!"
ATK: 3000 → 4200
"Its ATK actually reached 4200?!" Trudge wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He had absolutely no way to deal with that level of power.
"Because this effect is continuous and doesn't need to activate, Crow, your Blackwing Full Armor Master can't respond with its effect!"
"In that case, I'm attacking..."
"Wait! I activate my Trap Card, Staunch Defender! When my opponent declares an attack, I target one face-up monster on my field. As long as that monster remains on the field, my opponent must attack it this turn!"
Crow looked at the heavily armored Blackwing Full Armor Master. The dark warrior nodded at him and raised the greatsword at its side.
"I choose Blackwing Full Armor Master!"
"Crow, why didn't you choose your Token?" Shinji questioned. "It's in Defense Position. If you had just chosen it, you could have passed this turn without taking any damage!"
Crow didn't reply. His meaning was already clear.
Even if he was battered and bruised, he refused to abandon his last shred of dignity as a human being.
"Then, battle! Battlewasp - Grand Partisan the Revolution, attack Blackwing Full Armor Master!"
The enormous insect airship trained its sights on Blackwing Full Armor Master, and countless crossbow bolts rained down in a torrent. The armored warrior desperately tried to block the onslaught, but no matter how hard it fought, it fell at last, shattering in an explosion of light.
Crow, LP: 3800 → 2600.
"End turn."
Crow closed his eyes.
His heart roared. He could feel the power of the Earthbound Immortal surging through his body, nourishing him with dark energy.
That was the power granted by the Ultimate Earthbound Immortal. Under its influence, his cards were becoming more and more extreme.
The power of an Earthbound Immortal amplifies the darkness and ruthlessness in a person's heart.
He slowly opened his eyes.
"My turn!" Crow frantically drew a card. He glanced at it, then gritted his teeth. "I activate the Spell Card, Allure of Darkness! I draw two cards, then banish Blackwing - Simoon the Poison Wind from my hand."
He looked at the cards he'd drawn, and his pupils contracted sharply. He had drawn the card that would bring this Duel to its conclusion.
"I tune Level 4 Blackwing - Sudri the Phantom Glimmer with Level 2 Phantom Glimmer Token!"
"Come forth. Bring the demonic winds, Crow."
"Synchro Summon - Blackwing - Boreastorm the Wicked Wind!"
'What is that?'
Shinji was confused.
"I activate Black Feather Whirlwind's effect! I Special Summon Blackwing - Vata the Emblem of Wandering from my Graveyard!"
"Now, Blackwing - Boreastorm the Wicked Wind's effect activates! When this card is Synchro Summoned, I can send one Blackwing monster from my Deck to the Graveyard, and this card's Level becomes that monster's Level."
The sinister-looking crow wielded its weapon.
"I send the Level 10 Blackwing - Aurora the Northern Lights from my Deck to the Graveyard."
Blackwing - Boreastorm the Wicked Wind — Level: 6 → 10.
What does that mean?
Shinji didn't understand why Crow would raise its Level to 10. Even for a Synchro Summon, he should have chosen a different Level, right?
"Field Spell, activate! Earthbound Geoglyph!"
Crow pulled out a card and slammed it into the Field Zone of his Duel Disk.
Shinji's eyes went wide.
'It's coming!?'
He clenched his fists.
'It's fine,' he told himself. 'Crow's field still has monsters that can attack. Even if he summons an Earthbound Immortal, it's nothing I can't handle!'
"Here it comes, Shinji, Quick-Play Spell, Swallow's Nest!"
"Swallow's Nest?" Shinji looked at Crow's field. "At this point, what can Swallow's Nest even Special Summon...?"
He shook his head. "I'll admit, your monster's effect is impressive. But high ATK is high ATK. In a Duel, even one extra point of ATK can make you invincible, and Grand Partisan the Revolution can't even be destroyed by card effects..."
"I Tribute the Level 10 Blackwing - Boreastorm the Wicked Wind!"
"Level... 10?" Shinji murmured. "It couldn't be..."
Caww...
Everyone seemed to hear a cry.
Tierra flinched, glancing around frantically. "Damn it."
Because something she could never have predicted had appeared.
The next moment, the Geoglyph blazing across the sky seemed to come alive. A gargantuan bird, enveloping the entire Lower District in its shadow, slowly spread its wings.
It was pitch-black, with dark purple patterns etched across its body. As its wings unfurled, it was as though the sun, moon, and stars themselves rose and set at its command.
Its sheer size made even Battlewasp - Grand Partisan the Revolution, a monster capable of carpet-bombing the ground, seem impossibly small. Like a bee facing an eagle.
"What... is that?" Shinji stared, wide-eyed.
It wasn't like seeing a monster. It was like witnessing a force of nature.
"Special Summon!"
"Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca!"
Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca- Level 10, DARK, Winged Beast - ATK: 1.
"ATK 1?!" Shinji went pale.
"ATK 1?" Trudge looked equally bewildered.
How could a monster possibly have that kind of ATK value?
Whenever something abnormal appears, there is always a reason behind it.
An attack value of 1 was abnormal to the extreme.
No Duelist would think that summoning a monster with 1 ATK in front of a monster with 4200 ATK was normal behavior.
Crow was not someone who would give up.
Moreover, the Earthbound mark behind him began to shine at that moment.
Crow slowly picked up the Black-Winged Dragon on his field. This card had been left to him by the previous owner of his D-Wheel. To him, it symbolized freedom and protection, and he had always trusted in its power.
In the next instant, the mark of the Earthbound Immortal appeared on the card. Darkness surged, and under its blessing, the dragon began to transform.
Pitch-black wings spread behind Crow, as if pulling him into darkness itself.
"By banishing Black-Winged Dragon on my field and Blackwing – Boreastorm the Wicked Wind in my Graveyard," Crow declared, "I Special Summon from my Extra Deck, Black-Winged Assault Dragon!"
The dragon's wings exploded outward, now covered in steel-like armor. Compared to its previous form, it had lost its former gentleness and instead radiated an aggressive, oppressive aura.
Black-Winged Assault Dragon Level 10 / DARK / Dragon- ATK 3200
Shinji gritted his teeth when he saw it. Although he didn't understand its true power, he still forced himself to remain calm.
"So your monster evolved… but my monster still has higher attack power!"
"Attack power isn't everything," Crow replied coldly. "As long as Black-Winged Assault Dragon is on the field, each time you activate a monster effect, it gains one Black Feather Counter, and you take 700 points of damage."
Many Duelists watching the battle were stunned. Compared to effect negation, this ability was even more terrifying. It didn't stop the opponent, it punished them.
Then, Crow continued.
"And the effect of Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca. Once per turn, by skipping my Battle Phase, your Life Points become 1."
A powerful wind swept across the field as the Earthbound Immortal's shadow descended.
Shinji's Life Points instantly dropped.
Shinji LP: 2600 → 1
Everyone watching fell into shock.
With both Black-Winged Assault Dragon and Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca on the field, Shinji had almost no chance of victory.
Crow calmly set a card.
"I end my turn."
Shinji drew his card, his hands trembling.
"Trap Card… Waboku," Crow suddenly declared.
"This turn, my monsters cannot be destroyed by battle, and any battle damage I take becomes 0."
Shinji froze.
Waboku…
Memories flooded his mind, their training, their friendship, their arguments.
"Crow…" Shinji's voice trembled. "I don't know anymore. I don't know how this world can change."
Crow didn't answer.
Shinji clenched his teeth and shouted,
"Battle! Battlewasp – Grand Partisan the Revolution attacks Black-Winged Assault Dragon!"
The two monsters collided violently.
But at that moment, high in the sky, the Earthbound Immortal opened its wings.
A pillar of light descended.
Shinji's Life Points dropped to zero.
Shinji LP: 1 → 0