Chapter 200: Aster Phoenix's Death (Part 2)
A Stardust Vortex wreathed in Chaos Force emerged beneath Utopia's feet, and the monster slowly submerged into it.
Moments later, a new form reappeared, clad in dark red armor and wielding a scimitar of Chaos Force. On its left shoulder plate, within the dark red number 39, the powers of light and darkness constantly intertwined and transformed.
Utopia Ray V flapped its wings, flying into the air. Three dark red crosses, unique to CNo. monsters and representing their Overlay Units, descended from the sky, landing before Yūga Hōzumi and Kaito.
CNo. 39: Utopia Ray V ATK: 2600
"2600 ATK," Yuya said through gritted teeth, enduring the pressure from Utopia Ray V. "That's lower than Brave-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's attack power..."
"I activate the effect of CNo. 39: Utopia Ray V!"
Yūga Hōzumi said coolly as Utopia Ray V's wings and one of the dark red crosses beneath its feet lit up simultaneously.
"Once per turn, by detaching one Overlay Unit from this card, I can target one monster on my opponent's field! That monster is destroyed, and if the destroyed monster was face-up, its owner takes damage equal to its ATK!"
As Yūga Hōzumi finished speaking, the dark red cross transformed into lightning and surged into the Chaos Sword in Utopia Ray V's hand. In an instant, light and darkness—two distinct energies—collided and erupted within the longsword.
A moment later, once its energy was fully charged, Utopia Ray V swung its scimitar, and a terrifying sword aura infused with Chaos Force slashed toward Brave-Eyes Pendulum Dragon.
"What? That's its effect?" Yuya's face drained of color. The card he had set was a trap that could only be activated when an opponent declared an attack. He was helpless against the descending sword aura.
Yuya instinctively glanced around, hoping to find an Action Card to block the attack. But the empty field only served as a stark reminder that the factor of Action Cards had already been eliminated from this duel by his opponent.
The sword light struck, slicing Brave-Eyes Pendulum Dragon in half. The ensuing explosion enveloped both Yuya and Aster Phoenix.
Yuya/Aster Phoenix LP: 3000 → 0
Utopia Ray V unleashed an attack containing all of Yūga Hōzumi's rage. The impact sent Yuya and Aster Phoenix flying backward, crashing heavily onto the ground, unable to move.
"Yuya!"
Yuzu, who was watching the duel with Serena, saw this and started to move forward, but Serena grabbed her arm and held her back.
Yuzu looked back at Serena, bewildered.
"Don't go up there and cause more trouble. If you'd ever been to Heartland City, you'd understand how they feel right now. To put it bluntly, your friend chose the wrong side," Serena said calmly.
"But... Yuya..." Yuzu tried to say more, but Serena interrupted her again.
"If you're worried about what Yūga Hōzumi and the others might do to him, you don't have to be. Although he's annoying, he's still a fellow Lancer. They won't do anything to him."
With the battle resolved, Yūga Hōzumi's ZEXAL form and Kaito's Photon Mode deactivated simultaneously. The two slowly approached Aster Phoenix.
"It seems... there's no escaping this time," Aster Phoenix said with a smile of resignation, looking up at the two approaching him from where he lay immobilized on the ground.
"What happened in Heartland City is my fault. I'm sorry," Aster Phoenix said with a long sigh, having already accepted his fate.
"Save it. You can say that to the people you turned into cards after you become one yourself," Kaito said coldly, raising his Duel Disk and preparing to press the button that turns people into cards.
"As an apology, let me give you a piece of information before that." Aster Phoenix struggled to move, trying to sit up, but found that his injuries wouldn't allow it. He could only give a helpless smile and speak.
"I advise you not to wander around this dimension. The man who replaced me as the commander of the Obelisk Force in the Xyz Dimension is a very dangerous individual."
"By now, he's probably already clashed with the people you left guarding your camp. You should head back as soon as things are settled here."
"So that's why Yao and Yuto were injured?" Hearing this, Yūga Hōzumi recalled the earlier message from the system, and his brow furrowed.
"You don't need to worry about that. We'll handle Heartland City's problems ourselves," Kaito said, pressing the carding button.
A strange light flashed, and in the blink of an eye, only a single, solitary card remained where Aster Phoenix had been.
"What's the rush? Couldn't you have gotten more information out of him?" Yūga Hōzumi asked, looking at Kaito with a helpless expression.
"You'd trust information from that guy? Besides, didn't you say Yuto and the others' lives weren't in danger?" Kaito replied. "If something really did happen, we'll find out everything once we get back."
"You're right." Yūga Hōzumi nodded, picking up the card Aster Phoenix had become. He looked toward the Duel Palace in the distance. "Let's go back as soon as things are over here. I hope Bruno doesn't drop the ball."
Yūga Hōzumi's words had barely faded when the roar of D-Wheel engines echoed. The massive gates of the nearby Duel Palace swung open, and Bruno and Jack's D-Wheels came speeding out one after the other, heading for the elevated highways of Neo Domino City.
Trailing behind them was the TV station's live broadcast helicopter.
A moment later, every large screen in Neo Domino City lit up, and the female commentator appeared.
"Hello to all our viewers in Neo Domino City!" the female commentator began with her usual greeting.
"I never expected that the one to accept the King, Jack's, challenge to the Revolutionary Army to settle this dispute with a duel would be none other than Bruno, a contestant who has consistently delivered outstanding performances in the Friendship Cup!"
"Furthermore, both Master Jack and Bruno believe that a duel to decide the very fate of Neo Domino City should be held on the city's real streets, not on some looping stadium track!"
"I, Melis, am honored to be your commentator for this duel that will decide the future of Neo Domino City! Until a winner is decided, I implore both the armies of Neo Domino City and the Revolutionary Army to temporarily cease all hostilities. Please!"
At that moment, inside the Municipal Building, the Five Elders on the high platform were seething with rage as they watched the live broadcast.
"What is that Jack doing? Why is he dueling outside? If the duel were in the stadium, we could have forcibly seized the secret of Accel Synchro afterward."
"Hahaha," Roger, standing below, couldn't help but burst into laughter. "It seems you miscalculated. How could you possibly control a duelist like Jack?"
"Hmph, don't get cocky. This is just a minor setback. It is precisely because he is a duelist that he won't be able to refuse the legacy of Double Tuning we can offer him."
...
(end of chapter)u can see advance ch in my p@rteon
new yu gi oh novel in 5ds era