Flame Wingman was a card that left a deep impression not just on Chazz, but on the other students as well.
The reason was simple.
During the entrance exam, Jaden had put on a show for the entire school, using Flame Wingman to tear through a professor's defenses.
As a result, most freshmen were familiar with the card and knew its effect.
However, Chazz's memory of it was even stronger because he had almost been defeated by it himself.
Since it was a HERO card, he immediately felt much more at ease.
On the other hand, Hikaru was in a bit of a predicament.
Sheep Tokens couldn't be used as tribute for Flame Swords realm.
The effect of Flame Swordsrealm required sending a face-up monster from the hand or field to the Graveyard to Special Summon a "Flame Swordsman" Fusion Monster from the Extra Deck. Since Sheep Tokens couldn't be used for Tribute Summons and couldn't be sent to the Graveyard, they were useless as fuel.
Additionally, the hand he had just drawn was rather awkward.
A complete hand brick.
There was no way to clear the field, and his opponent still had a set card.
However, if he switched to another strategy, he might have a chance to end the duel in one blow. But he needed to hold on to some of his hand cards, which could be risky. Also, it depended on whether Chazz would play into his plan.
He glanced at Chazz, only to find Chazz glaring fiercely at Jaden, who had been cheering him on.
Hikaru raised an eyebrow.
No problem, victory was certain.
"I activate the Continuous Spell, Flame Swordsrealm, and use its effect, sending Gem-Knight Crystal from my hand to the Graveyard to Special Summon Flame Swordsman in Defense Position."
[Flame Swordsman] Level 5│FIRE│Warrior│1600 DEF
If possible, Hikaru would have preferred to use the Sheep as a Tribute to Normal Summon Crystal. With 2450 ATK, it could easily crush Armed Dragon LV5.
But for now, this was the best he could do.
"He's passing the turn?"
"Looks like Hikaru's hand isn't great," Bastion chuckled. "Otherwise, he would have at least Normal Summoned a monster to take advantage of Flame Swordsrealm's effect, boosting Flame Swordsman's attack by 1000 to destroy Armed Dragon LV5."
"That's true," Syrus nodded. "But next turn, he'll be summoning Flame Wingman! Once that's on the field, with Flame Swordsrealm's effect, the duel will be decided in an instant!"
Chazz wasn't interested in listening, but his ears still caught every word.
'So that Flame Swordsrealm had such an effect.'
He felt relieved. Holding on to his Trap Card had been the right decision!
"Hahahaha, Jaden, looks like this time, I'm the one who's going to win! Watch closely!" He burst into laughter, his chuuni energy overflowing. "My turn, draw!"
"I Normal Summon X-Head Cannon!"
[X-Head Cannon] Level 4│LIGHT│Machine│1800 ATK
"Battle!"
"Armed Dragon LV5, destroy Flame Swordsman!"
Flame Swordsman couldn't resist and was instantly shredded by the dragon's claws.
"Next, you two, take down those annoying Sheep!"
The yellow and red Sheep were wiped out, leaving only the blue one trembling on the field.
"Battle Phase ends, I activate Armed Dragon LV5's effect! I discard Paladin of Felgrand from my hand to destroy one of your monsters with a lower ATK! I destroy your last Sheep!"
Chazz felt better the longer the duel went on, his mood was soaring.
He had already planned out the next steps, and even though Hikaru kept using Fusion cards, that didn't bother him at all.
Because in the end, no matter what, he would have to rely on Fusion Monsters, right?
Having fought against HERO decks for so long, he had already memorized all their Fusion Monsters!
"I End my turn! Now, Armed Dragon LV5's effect activates. During the End Phase of the turn it destroys a monster in battle, I send it to the Graveyard to Special Summon Armed Dragon LV7 from my hand or deck!"
Armed Dragon roared again as countless pieces of steel flew in from a distance, snapping into place like armor, making it appear even more imposing.
[Armed Dragon LV7] Level 7│WIND│Dragon│2800 ATK
"Wow, it got even stronger."
"So scary."
Many students from the Fusion Club looked uneasy.
"What do we do? That Armed Dragon keeps getting stronger!"
"And Hikaru's field is completely empty!"
"Hah, I told you this guy wouldn't get far just relying on Fusion, didn't I? Look, I was right!"
"Bullshit! Next turn, Hikaru's Flame Wingman will hit the field! With Flame Swordsrealm, it'll be an instant kill!"
Chazz frowned slightly.
'So, Hikaru wasn't fully accepted by the Fusion Club?'
He had assumed that, as the club's rep, Hikaru would have the full support of its members, but it seemed quite a few people didn't acknowledge him.
Then again, that was only natural. There would always be those dissatisfied with Hikaru, whether from Blue Dorm or students with their own ideas. It was impossible to be liked by everyone.
Not that Hikaru cared.
He was here to win duels, not to make friends!
"My turn, draw. I activate Future Fusion's effect! During the Standby Phase, I Fusion Summon the monster revealed the last turn using its materials from the Extra Deck!"
"Come forth, I Fusion Summon! Elemental HERO Flame Wingman!"
Flames surged as Jaden's favorite HERO made a dazzling entrance.
"Whoa! It's Flame Wingman!" Jaden cheered, even more excited than the duelists themselves.
"Hah! Now's the time, I activate my Trap Card! Chthonian Polymer!"
"What!? That card!" Jaden's excitement instantly cooled.
"Chthonian Polymer? That's a Trap that lets you Tribute a monster upon Fusion Summon to take control of the opponent's Fusion Monster, the perfect counter to Fusion decks," Bastion frowned. "Damn, Hikaru's Flame Wingman."
"I Tribute X-Head Cannon on my field to take control of your Flame Wingman!"
[Elemental HERO Flame Wingman] Level 6│WIND│Warrior│2100 ATK
"Hey, that's too underhanded!"
"Yeah, exactly."
"You bastard, are you deliberately targeting our Fusion Club!?"
Now, not only Hikaru's supporters but even those who usually wanted to see him lose protested.
"Hahaha! Fools! What do you mean underhanded?! A card's effect is a card's effect, there's no such thing as 'cheap' in a duel!" Chazz shouted. "And call me Chazz Lightning!"
"Well, Jaden, looks like I've got this in the bag!"
"Uh, but Hikaru doesn't seem to think so?" Jaden pointed at Hikaru.
"What?!"
Chazz immediately turned to look at Hikaru, only to see him simply rubbing his chin, without a trace of tension.
"Huh?"
"Honestly, even though I already predicted what you would do, seeing it happen still feels a bit disappointing."
"What do you mean?"
"I've long considered the possibility of my Fusion Monster being stolen." Hikaru shrugged. "At the end of the day, every kind of tactic exists in a duel.
"What I'm after is the ultimate fusion, so I've always been prepared for the day I'd see my own monster standing against me."
"Whoa!" Some of the Fusion Club students felt their fighting spirit reignite.
"My only regret is that you actually activated your Set card at this exact moment, exactly as I predicted."
"Wait, what?"
"Listen up, Chazz-kun, you keep looking at Jaden while dueling." Hikaru pointed a finger at his opponent.
"Ah...!" Chazz was startled and instinctively stepped back two paces.
"Too narrow-minded, Chazz-kun! Your goal is only to defeat Jaden, but my goal is the pinnacle of fusion! To achieve victory through fusion, no matter what!" Hikaru declared, raising a Spell Card in his hand. "I activate the Fusion Spell, Dark Calling!"
"I banish monsters from my hand and Graveyard as Fusion Materials to Fusion Summon a monster that can only be Special Summoned through Dark Fusion!"
"I banish Avian and Burstinatrix from my Graveyard!"
"Transform into a demon that will shred everything to pieces! I Fusion Summon, Evil HERO Inferno Wing!"
A sinister yet striking anti-hero emerged from the darkness!
[Evil HERO Inferno Wing] Level 6│FIRE│Fiend│2100 ATK
"Inferno Wing?"
"Wasn't it supposed to be Flame Wingman?"
Aside from Jaden, almost everyone stared in shock.
"Next, I activate the Equip Spell, Spirit Illusion! This card can only be equipped to a Level 5 or higher Fiend or Zombie monster! Once per turn, it allows me to Special Summon or Fusion Summon a Doppelganger Token with the same stats as the equipped monster."
"It's the Fusion Equip Card he used on the day he joined the club!"
"Oh, I remember! When this card's equipped monster attacks, it reduces the opponent's monster's ATK by the equipped monster's ATK!"
Someone recognized the card.
"That means it's a 2100 vs. 700!?"
"Haha, by the way, Inferno Wing also has Flame Wingman's effect," Jaden laughed, explaining the ability with pure joy, relishing the fact that while everyone else was confused, he fully understood.
Chazz's face turned pale.
'It also has Flame Wingman's ability to deal damage equal to the destroyed monster's original ATK!?'
"Battle!"
"Inferno Wing, incinerate the dragon!"
Pitch-black flames engulfed the steel dragon, shrinking it down to an even smaller size than when it was first summoned. Then, it was ruthlessly slaughtered by the demonic hero. Immediately after, the dark flames surged toward Chazz, who screamed in pain as he desperately tried to dodge, and collapsed onto the ground.
INSTANT KILL!