"'Lord of Searing Flames, Uria', 'Lord of Striking Thunder, Hamon', and 'Lord of Phantasms, Raviel' are collectively known as the powerful existence 'Three Phantasms'."
Fujino gestured for his subordinates to wait at the door, then slowly began to recount the tale.
"Of course, you are not unfamiliar with these. After all, in the sealing process of the Three Phantasms, your contributions are indispensable."
At that time, when the Phantasms caused chaos, the D Department dispatched duelists to attempt to counter them. Using some unorthodox high-tech methods, they were able to summon Duel Monsters in solid holographic form to a certain extent, which proved effective in battles against regular spirits and Dark Duelists.
However, it was clear that when facing massive entities like the 'Three Phantasms', their efforts seemed insufficient.
The special duelists from the D Department had no chance against the Phantasms. If it weren't for the intervention of several Legendary Duelists, including Youyu, the situation might have escalated into a national battle of planes and artillery against the Phantasms… quite thrilling to imagine.
"You probably know the reasons for those riots?" Fujino asked.
"The arrival of the Duel Generation led to widespread awakening of monster spirits, and the Three Phantasms, dormant since ancient times, awoke due to environmental factors." Youyu said lightly.
"Precisely." Fujino nodded, "Thanks to your active efforts, the Three Phantasms have been sealed. However, in some records left by ancient people unearthed later, we deciphered ancient texts that seemed to compare these three demons to the 'Three Egyptian Gods'."
"Perhaps the ancients just hadn't seen much." Youyu said.
That wouldn't be surprising. After all, they do resemble the Egyptian Gods a bit—especially Lord of Searing Flames, Uria, who looks like it could be Osiris's long-lost brother.
Perhaps the ancient record keepers had never truly witnessed the divine might of the Egyptian Gods and merely recorded the strongest beings they could imagine after experiencing the intimidation of the Three Phantasms.
"That's a possibility." Fujino said, "But have you considered other possibilities? For instance... maybe the Three Phantasms we've encountered are not yet in their ultimate forms?"
"You mean the discovery by that archaeological team." Youyu said.
"You've already read the data; you know what I mean." Fujino said.
That mission, involving those evil items that everyone avoided talking about, was closely linked to the Phantasms—
—stone slabs sealed with the Power of Phantasms.
Initially, the archaeological team didn't realize what they had unearthed. Utilizing modern technology, they penetrated the chamber sealed by ancient hands, perhaps never meant to see the light of day again, and discovered the intricately crafted stone slabs buried deep underground.
The miraculous alchemy materials rendered the slabs impervious to the ravages of time, and even the chains binding them gleamed like gold.
Engraved on the slabs were abstract and twisted demons, and despite the rudimentary artistic skills of the ancients, the lines resembling children's doodles quickly awakened a deep-seated fear in each member of the archaeological team.
The joy of a major discovery was swiftly overshadowed by inexplicable fear. In fact, none of them had heard the tales of the 'Three Phantasms', nor did they know the significance of the crude lines and abstract, complex ancient text on the slabs, yet they felt fear, as if it were an instinct imprinted into their DNA by their ancestors.
This was why the matter was quickly handed over to the D Department.
"Those are actually not the slabs that seal the 'Three Phantasms' themselves, but rather contain some of their power." Fujino said, "The inscriptions on the slabs detail how to use this power in the 'sacred Battle Ceremony'—what we today know as dueling."
"Support cards for magic and trap cards assisting the Phantasms." Youyu said.
This explains why the Three Phantasms in the animation are said to rival the Egyptian Gods in strength, yet don't demonstrate such power.
Because just like Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Red-Eyes Black Dragon, and Dark Magician all appear as Normal Monsters, yet are considered among the pinnacle of power in Duel Monsters, their strength lies not only in their physical forms but also in a myriad of support cards and various new forms.
The Three Phantasms are the same.
Unlike the Egyptian Gods, whose effects are contained entirely within their own cards—sometimes even using effects not listed on the card description—the Three Phantasms' power is not all within the card itself.
In fact, each of the three Phantasms has its own support cards and a fully functional and strong card deck.
In the GX chapter, Kagemaru only utilized a small portion of the Three Phantasms' power—besides the three Phantasms and a Field Magic card, he had almost no support cards related to the Phantasms.
In the Other Dimension chapter, the antagonist Yubel also wielded the Three Phantasms. Yubel, being much stronger than Kagemaru as an antagonist, uncovered more of the Phantasms' hidden potential, creating many Phantasm-specific support cards on the spot, and even summoned their ultimate form.
But that still wasn't the Three Phantasms' true complete state.
"The archaeological discovery was both the true source of the Three Phantasms' power and the correct method of controlling them."
Fujino's expression was very grave, as if even for him this was a memory he would prefer to forget.
"The archaeological team contacted us, and I immediately arranged for the team stationed nearby to support them and have all those slabs transported back to headquarters.
But we all underestimated the sheer terror of that power.
On the first day of departure, the entire transport team experienced mental disturbances. They heard whispers in their sleep, and some claimed to hear the growling of unknown creatures.
While on the ship, they always sensed something unusual outside their cabin windows, but upon opening them, all they saw was the endless sea.
Within half a day, some were on the verge of a mental breakdown. They fantasized about the transport ship being hit by a tsunami and storms, while others said they saw grotesque demons reaching out claws from the clouds.
One archaeologist's fragile nerves finally snapped under the strain, and on the first night, he jumped overboard, disappearing forever into the waves."
Youyu furrowed his brow: "Sounds like when the Egyptian God Tablets were unearthed."
In the early episodes of the DM animation, when the Egyptian Gods first appeared, a similar situation seemed to occur. All designers who handled the Egyptian God Tablets either went mad or died, and it was Pegasus who finally completed those three cards.
However, the Egyptian Gods are just awkwardly proud, and although their excessive power makes them unmanageable by ordinary people, causing some to go insane, they are still proper gods without inherent malicious intent.
The Three Phantasms are different. These three are embodiments of evil, twisted creations that may harbor malice against anyone and anything.
Youyu quickly made a connection: "So you contacted Hibiki Koyo? You hoped the second-generation Duel King could suppress that power?"
"Exactly. We have concluded through research that powerful duelists can suppress spirits," Fujino said, "And reality proved we were correct.
After Mr. Hibiki Koyo arrived, the transport proceeded smoothly. No one saw illusions, and the whispers ceased. It was as if the presence of the Duel King itself brought a strong aura that suppressed the evil of the Phantasms."
"Sounds to me like it was going smoothly." Youyu leaned back into the office chair, "So how did Hibiki Koyo go missing?"
Officer Fujino's face turned a bit ugly.
"Because the transport convoy was attacked. The information about the stone slabs containing the Power of Phantasms was leaked, attracting attention from entities outside of our group—a very ancient and terrifyingly powerful existence."
At this point, Youyu already fully guessed what had happened next.
It was Tragoedia.