Dimension Voyage—banished Synchro Monsters return!
Kira arched his eyebrow.
He vaguely recalled that card—Yusei had used it in the WRGP final against the Three Pure Nobles. This effect was pretty much just a toned-down version of the more infamous banned Trap "Return from the Different Dimension." The key difference: this one only worked for Synchro Monsters and came with several extra restrictions.
Crow:
"With Dimension Voyage, the banished 'Blackwing - Armor Master' and 'Red Dragon Archfiend' can return—our ace cards are back!"
Black feathers gathered, forming armored wings, as the Blackwing warrior leapt to Crow's side.
[Blackwing - Armor Master, ATK 2500]
Flames surged and Jack's Red Dragon Archfiend manifested on the field.
[Red Dragon Archfiend, ATK 3000]
Jack: "Go, my soul! Unleash your ultimate power!"
Crow: "No matter how many times we fail, our bonds are unbreakable. We always fight side by side!"
Kira smiled. "So this is what makes you strong."
He paused, then grinned again, "But Dimension Voyage has its own drawbacks, doesn't it?"
"Yeah." Crow nodded, "Monsters Special Summoned by Dimension Voyage have their effects negated, can't attack, and are banished again at the end of the turn."
With all those restrictions, it was clearly a far cry from the "Return from the Different Dimension" ban card.
Leo, outside the field, was baffled: "Eh? So the Synchro Monsters, once revived, can't attack or use effects, and they're gone again at the turn's end… What good is that?"
Hearing the crowd's confusion, Crow immediately called out, "But as long as the three of us stand together, we'll always support each other!"
"That's right!" Yusei called out powerfully.
"I activate Majestic Star Dragon's effect! Once per turn, I can negate the effect of one opponent's monster, and gain its effect!
I negate 'Raviel, Lord of Phantasms's' ability!
Subjugation—absorption!"
Majestic Star Dragon soared, his ethereal wings spread wide, rays of starlight raining down. Raviel, Lord of Phantasms, was shrouded in that holy glow, his body darkening as his power was drawn away and absorbed into Majestic Star Dragon.
"Now, Majestic Star Dragon gains Raviel's effect!" Yusei declared. "Once per turn, by releasing two of my monsters, its Attack increases by their Attack until the end of the turn!" (anime effect.)
Raviel's anime effect required tributing two monsters, much like Obelisk the Tormentor—clearly a deliberate homage by the animators. The TCG version allowed just one tribute, making it more flexible in practical play.
But now, the field was full—there were two monsters at hand.
Jack shouted, "Let's combine our strength, Yusei!"
"Alright!"
Yusei called back.
"I activate Majestic Star Dragon's effect absorbed from Raviel!
I release 'Red Dragon Archfiend' and 'Blackwing - Armor Master'; their combined Attack is added to Majestic Star Dragon!"
As he spoke, the crimson Archfiend and black Armor Master both vanished in a shower of light. The light points condensed into an orb of power, pouring into Majestic Star Dragon's body.
[Majestic Star Dragon, ATK 3800 → 6800 → 9300]
9,300 Attack!
Kira gaped. "That jumped to over nine thousand!"
Even without his Shimmering Scraper, even if Raviel's Attack could be doubled... there was no way it could withstand this.
Crow: "That's our combined power!"
Yusei: "This is our full strength—our answer to you! Feel our burning resolve, Kira!
Go, Majestic Star Dragon, attack 'Raviel, Lord of Phantasms'!"
Majestic Star Dragon's wings folded tight, blazing white light burst between his scales—brighter than the sun. The pure white wings raised a storm of starlight; every pattern on his scales shimmered with milky way luminescence. Pure cosmic energy, a sacred white glow, trailed behind him like a jet's afterburner.
"Meteor Sonic Burst!!!" Yusei roared.
Majestic Star Dragon became a lance of light, shattering the air in a sonic boom of blinding brilliance. He left a trail of diamond stars, pierced through, leaving even a demonic form defenseless—the dawn of a thousand mornings exploded.
"We did it!"
Before the smoke cleared, Crow excitedly declared victory.
But Yusei was not so optimistic. His brow furrowed. "No... not yet."
Yusei's gaze was locked on the dust cloud.
[Kira: LP 5700]
Everyone: "NANI?!"
"Why?! We should have defeated Raviel—how come his Life Points—?!"
Kira smiled lightly. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but you might want to look closer. Whose monster did you defeat?"
Jack: "!"
As the smoke faded, they saw: Raviel, Lord of Phantasms still stood! Instead, "Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder," who shouldn't have even been in the blast radius, had thrown himself in front of Raviel, shielding him from the attack.
"That can't be!"
Crow was aghast.
"Monsters aren't supposed to protect each other like that—are they friends?!"
"Your bonds aren't the only unbreakable ones," Kira said. "The friendship among the Sacred Beasts is just as deep. They'd never sit back and watch a brother fall.
So at the last moment, Hamon sacrificed himself to protect his brother."
Kira shifted to deadpan nonsense.
Jack was dumbfounded. "Give me a break! Monsters don't have brotherly bonds—that's just BS, right?!"
Only Yusei stayed calm. "It's Hamon's unique effect, isn't it?"