"Before the turn ends, I activate this Continuous Spell, Blockout Curtain."
A green-bordered Spell Card appeared on Vampire Fraulein's field. Its artwork showed her yawning while gently drawing a curtain, surrounded by swarms of bats, blocking out the moonlight.
Elegant yet playful, just like Vampire Fraulein herself.
"Turn end."
"See now? You're not even on the same level as the Lady Fraulein! She's from the Vampire Dimens...."
"Camula?" Fraulein called softly.
"Ah, I know." Camula caught herself and quickly shut up.
Though honestly, she didn't even need to say it. Some sharp minds in the crowd had probably already figured it out: If a Duel Spirit is dueling in person, there's a 99% chance they're a Spirit from another dimension!
"My turn. Draw."
Hikaru glanced over his hand, his expression contemplative.
"This is bad!" Bastion, focused entirely on the duel and not at all on Fraulein's looks, suddenly spoke up.
"Huh? Bastion, what's wrong?" Jaden and Chazz quickly asked.
"Everyone knows Hikaru's deck is a Fusion-focused build that uses Spell and Trap support with minimal Fusion materials."
The others nodded.
"To maximize those few Fusion materials, Hikaru's go-to Continuous Spells are Flame Swordsrealm and Future Fusion. Let's leave Flame Swordsrealm aside, but Future Fusion requires sending monsters from the Deck to the Graveyard. Same goes for that Scatter Fusion Alexis saw earlier."
"So what?" Jaden asked.
"Ah!" Chazz gasped. "Vampire Kingdom!"
"Exactly! Because Vampire Kingdom is in play, Hikaru's Fusion plays are heavily restricted!"
"Then what now? My brother can't take them on alone!"
"Don't panic, Syrus. Hikaru will think of something!"
Hikaru finished scanning his hand. A plan was forming in his mind.
"I activate the Continuous Spell, Future Fusion!"
"Ahhh! I told you not to use Future Fusion!!" Syrus cried from the stands.
"Hmm?" Zane likewise looked puzzled by Hikaru's move.
"I activate Future Fusion's effect, I reveal Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem from my Extra Deck and send Ancient Gear Golem from my Deck to the Graveyard."
"!!"
Zane's pupils narrowed.
"Ancient Gear Golem!"
"Your friends were warning you, you know?" Fraulein opened her Deck with confusion. "I activate Vampire Kingdom's effect. I send Vampire Vamp from my Deck to the Graveyard and destroy your Future Fusion."
"Ha! That annoying Golem won't be coming out now!" Camula, still bitter about being punched by it last duel, laughed with glee as Future Fusion was destroyed.
"Heh, then I activate the Continuous Spell, Brilliant Fusion!"
"When this card is activated, I send Gem-Knight Fusion Materials from my Deck to the Graveyard, reduce my Fusion Monster's ATK/DEF to 0, then Fusion Summon it from the Extra Deck!
If this card leaves the field, that monster is destroyed."
"I send Gem-Knight Crystal and Thunder Dragon from my Deck to the Graveyard to Fusion Summon, Gem-Knight Prismaura!"
[Gem-Knight Prismaura] Level 7│EARTH│Thunder│1400 DEF
"Huh?" Syrus blinked, too stunned to form words.
"Strange, why?" Chazz furrowed his brow. "Two things don't make sense."
"Vampire Kingdom's effect only activates once per turn," Hikaru explained. "And it's mandatory. That means if I send cards from my Deck to the Graveyard, it has to trigger and destroy something.
So I just had it destroy the first one."
Fraulein looked up slightly, her eyes glowing faint red as she examined Hikaru.
"I get it now!" Bastion punched the air in excitement. "Prismaura's effect lets you discard a Gem-Knight card to destroy one face-up card on the field!
You can take out Vampire Kingdom, Vampire's Domain, or even Vampire Fraulein herself!"
'If only it were that simple.' Hikaru sighed inwardly.
"I activate Gem-Knight Prismaura's effect! I discard Gem-Knight Fusion from my hand to destroy Vampire Kingdom!"
Captain Crystal raised his lance, charging it with energy like a laser cannon, and fired a white beam.
"No, you don't!" Fraulein thrust out her hand. Bats swarmed and formed a giant curtain. "Blockout Curtain's effect! I send it to the Graveyard to prevent the destruction of one card I control!"
The light beam struck the curtain, rippling uselessly.
"No way." Syrus's spark of hope quickly faded.
"Even Hikaru didn't recognize that card." Bastion shook his head. "If his plan worked, first forcing the destruction, then summoning Prismaura to destroy Vampire Kingdom, their situation would've been a lot better."
Hikaru set two cards and glanced at Zane.
Zane blinked in surprise.
"Turn end!"
Zane had a hunch, Hikaru was trying to signal him.
If Vampire Kingdom's trigger was guaranteed, then why did Hikaru choose to send Ancient Gear Golem to the Graveyard? He had other options, like Ancient Gear Cannon. Sending a fusion material like Ancient Gear Golem seemed wasteful.
Unless...
Zane realized something.
'Hikaru is the Fusion Club rep, after all…'
A smile tugged at his lips.
"Didn't expect you to be smiling in this situation," Vamp chuckled. "My turn! I Normal Summon, Gozuki!"
The monster Vampire Vamp had fetched earlier, now hit the field. "Then I activate Gozuki's effect, send myself to the Graveyard. Next, I activate Monster Reborn to revive myself!"
[Vampire Vamp] Level 7│DARK│Zombie│2000 ATK
She flapped her wings, ready to fly onto the field like Fraulein but just then, Hikaru flipped a card.
"Trap Card activate, Flame Swordsdance! When a monster is Special Summoned, I can Special Summon a Flame Swordsman or a Level 7 or lower Fusion Monster with its name listed from my Extra Deck in Defense Position.
I Special Summon, Dark Flare Knight!"
"Then, Flame Sword Dance's effect flips Vampire Vamp face-down in Defense Position!"
Startled, Vamp froze mid-flight, dropping face-down onto the field without complaint.
She didn't want to get buried in the Duel Arena either.
"Tch. Pathetic resistance."
"Gozuki, attack Dark Flare Knight! Vampire Lady, attack Prismaura!"
She didn't dare switch Fraulein to Attack Position. With only 600 ATK, commanding her to change battle modes was unthinkable.
"I set a card. Turn end.
It's your turn. Stop struggling already, it's almost time for the Lady Fraulein's nap."
"This is bad, even though they survived the turn, the field is full of Zombies. With Fraulein present, every monster becomes almost unbeatable." Bastion frowned deeply.
"Ahhhh, bro!!" Syrus clawed at his hair.
"Come on! Zane, Hikaru!!"
"Hmph, naive. Ridiculous." Onstage, Zane grinned. "Hikaru, thank you for protecting my Cyber Dragon Vier!
'I understand what you were trying to do. And now I'll use the card you left for me.'
My turn. Draw!"
"At this moment, I activate the Trap, Cybernetic Revolution!"
"Cybernetic Revolution?!"
"What's that card?"
"I think Hikaru left it behind!"
"I Tribute a face-up Cyber Dragon to activate it. I Special Summon a Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck that lists Cyber Dragon as material!"
"Here we go!" Zane flashed a confident smile.
"My partner, Cyber End Dragon!"