"Beautiful!" Chazz blurted.
"Excellent, " Bastion actually applauded Hikaru.
From this close to the semifinals, a spectator wanted fireworks, and Hikaru delivered: he'd baited and forced Zane into spending every last negate from Cyberdarkness Dragon, then slipped through with Fusion Deployment to land Cyber Dragon and spin it with Zane's Cyber Dragon Nova into Chimeratech Fortress Dragon. Bastion couldn't help praising him.
When Zane chose Jaden for his graduation duel, it was partly worry for Jaden's mindset, and partly because Jaden, an "instinctive" duelist, was a worthy foil.
Hikaru's style wasn't Zane's, but he was a classic "calculate everything" player who measured the opponent's lines as carefully as his own.
Compared to Zane, though, Hikaru was more willing to gamble, never clearer than in his duel with Professor Banner.
Fusion Deployment is once per turn. If Zane hadn't negated Keeper of Dragon Magic earlier, letting Hikaru search a Fusion Spell first, and then Hikaru fired Deployment, Zane wouldn't have had to fear Nova getting "contact-fused" away by Cyber Dragon on the spot.
And because Zane did fear Fusion Deployment, he pulled the trigger early, leading to this.
Cyber Dragon.
The bane of Machines.
More precisely, Chimeratech Fortress Dragon, the bane of Machines.
As long as "Cyber Dragon" is on the field, you can send it and any number of Machine monsters from either field to the GY to Special Summon Fortress without "Polymerization."
"I see… I get it now. Next time, I'll hold my negate for Fusion Deployment," Zane said after a beat.
Even a powerful negate can't be thrown around. Unless you can negate forever, you have to pick the choke points.
Things like Shaddoll Fusion and Instant Fusion? Unacceptable.
A setup line through Keeper of Dragon Magic? Sometimes acceptable, until it points straight at Deployment.
"The duel continues. I activate the Spell 'Frightfur Patchwork', add 'Polymerization' and 1 'Edge Imp' monster from my Deck to my hand."
With fresh fuel in hand, Hikaru didn't hesitate. He flipped through his GY and nodded. "Next, the GY effect of Metalfoes Fusion (the card I discarded for Keeper): shuffle it into the Deck, then draw 1."
He drew, eyebrows lifting.
"Good card."
"Polymerization! I fuse Edge Imp Chain and Fluffal Penguin from my hand."
"Fusion Summon! Frightfur Sheep!"
A plush penguin tumbled from the sky; a flash of scissors turned it into a yellow ram, then chains cinched tight and rotary blades clicked out from its seams. The grinning killer-toy hit the field.
Frightfur Sheep — Level 5 | DARK | Fiend | 2000 ATK / 2000 DEF.
"It's Sheep!" a kid in the crowd squealed.
"Another Fusion?" Zane frowned.
If it were just a Fusion, fine, but this one came with a cascade.
"Because Polymerization resolved, several effects trigger.
Edge Imp Chain, If sent from the hand or field to the GY: add 1 'Frightfur' card from your Deck.
Fluffal Penguin, If sent to the GY as Fusion Material for a 'Frightfur': draw 2, then discard 1.
Dreamland (Field Spell) — While a Fusion is on the field: if a monster is sent from the hand or field to the GY by a card effect, its owner draws 1."
"Chain resolving, first Edge Imp Chain: I add Frightfur Patchwork.
Then Fluffal Penguin: I draw 2, then discard Predaplant Chlamydosundew.
Finally Dreamland: I draw 1."
Bastion exhaled. "He even refilled his hand."
Hikaru weighed his new grip for a moment.
"If that's the setup…"
"Battle Phase, Chimeratech Fortress Dragon, direct attack!"
Fortress split its twin maws and fired. The airship shuddered with the blast.
Zane Truesdale — LP: 4000.
No damage through the smoke.
"Trap Card, Defense Draw. During damage calculation on your turn: the battle damage I'd take becomes 0, and I draw 1."
Zane peeled a card from his Deck.
"I still have one attacker, Frightfur Sheep, direct attack!"
This one landed. Zane merely raised a hand against the shockwave, unfazed.
Zane — LP: 4000 → 2000.
Hikaru didn't rush, even without closing the game.
"Main Phase 2."
He looked again at his hand.
With this many draws, he could finally set real defense.
What he'd set earlier had been "break-glass" options. No longer necessary.
As for the field, Chimeratech Fortress Dragon can't be used as Fusion Material, and leaving it up was risky. Time to trade it out.
"Spell, Metamorphosis. I Tribute the Level 8 Chimeratech Fortress Dragon, then Special Summon a Level 8 Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck, El Shaddoll Construct!"
A radiant puppet split the cloudbank, threads of violet light puppeteering its limbs as it alighted.
El Shaddoll Construct — Level 8 | LIGHT | Fairy | 2800 ATK / 2500 DEF.
"On Summon: I send 1 'Shaddoll' card from my Deck to the GY."
A single card slid free into Hikaru's GY.
"I Set two and end my turn."
"Heh heh heh...ha ha ha! You made me feel it!" Zane's laughter rang raw. To strangers it might sound unhinged; to those who knew him, it was normal.
Ever since Zane cut loose and chased victory, this was him: the lower his Life Points, the hotter he burned.
"My turn, draw!"
Zane drew with a sharp, sizzling whisper, as if the card itself carried a charge. He glanced at it and smiled.
"Spell, Pot of Avarice." He slid the card into his Duel Disk. "I choose five monsters in my GY, return them to the Deck, then draw two.
Cyber Dragon, Cyber Dragon Nova, Cyber World Jörmungandr, Cyberdark Keel, Cyberdark Edge, back to the Deck. Draw 2."
"Zane's hand is never empty… he's unbelievable," someone breathed.
He looked at the new pair and his smile deepened. "Monster Reborn."
Hikaru's eyes narrowed.
"The one I'm reviving… Cyberdarkness Dragon!"
A feral roar rolled up from beneath the airship. A jet-black chimera of steel coiled skyward.
Cyberdarkness Dragon — Level 10 | DARK | Machine | 2000 ATK.
"Cyberdarkness, on Special Summon: I can equip 1 Dragon or Machine from my GY to it."
"Ah..." Bastion shook his head. "No revival clause. It comes back 'complete.' Too strong…"
"Not so fast! Trap, Flame Swordsdance!" Hikaru snapped a set card open. "When your opponent Special Summons a monster: Special Summon 1 'Flame Swordsman' or a Level 7 or lower Fusion that mentions 'Flame Swordsman' from your Extra Deck, then you can change 1 face-up monster your opponent controls to face-down Defense Position!"
He pointed straight at Zane's chimera.
"I Special Summon Fighting Flame Dragon from the Extra Deck!"
A dragon of living flame rolled out of Dreamland, a greatsword clamped in its jaws.
Fighting Flame Dragon — Level 5 | FIRE | Dragon | 1700 ATK / 1600 DEF.
"Now, set your Cyberdarkness Dragon!"
The freshly revived boss hunched low and folded in on itself, forced face-down. With its body concealed, the equip it wanted couldn't take hold; the target stayed right where it was in the GY.
A long breath went out of two worlds at once, on the ship and beyond, even among the Fusion Army.
If Cyberdarkness had equipped, this turn would have turned ugly.
"As expected of Zane, he reads Hikaru in an instant," Bastion said, nodding. "They're evenly matched and they know each other's kill points, so they're sniping hard. But that also means Hikaru can't freely strip Zane's setup."
"Normal Summon, Cyber Dragon Core." Zane revealed the small purple unit he'd bounced last turn.
Cyber Dragon Core — Level 2 | LIGHT | Machine | 400 ATK.
"On Summon it adds a 'Cyber' Spell/Trap, you know the drill. I take Cyber Emergency.
Then Cyber Emergency adds a 'Cyber Dragon' monster or a LIGHT Machine that can't be Normal Summoned/Set… Cyber World Jörmungandr!"
He retraced the same beats as before. Moments later, Cyber World Jörmungandr and Cyber Dragon shared the field again.
"Overlay the two Level 5s to build the Xyz Network!"
This time, he skipped Jörmungandr's bounce. He went straight to it.
"Come forth, Cyber Dragon Nova!"
Black-winged and incandescent, the engine-dragon broke through the cloud deck like a descending god.
Cyber Dragon Nova — Rank 5 | LIGHT | Machine | 2100 ATK.
"Cyber Dragon Nova effect. Detach 1 Xyz Material to Special Summon 1 'Cyber Dragon' from my GY."
"Then, Spell, Polymerization!" Zane finally revealed his Fusion line. "I fuse the Cyber Dragon revived by Nova with Cyber Dragon Core on my field, treated as 'Cyber Dragon', and Cyber Dragon from my hand!"
He laughed under his breath. "Heh… appear, my old friend, Cyber End Dragon!"
A colossal, silver-white, three-headed machine dragon tore out of the radiance and roared alongside the flagship.
[Cyber End Dragon] — Level 10 | LIGHT | Machine | 4000 ATK.
"With my set Cyberdarkness Dragon too, that's every ace on Zane's board!"
"Insane…"
"So cool, every ace at once!"
"Is this the pinnacle of Cyber Dragon!?"
Zane smiled, pleased with the line. He looked across the deck at Hikaru and said, almost fondly, "Hikaru, you and Jaden are the juniors I rate the highest, but you're not alike. You're resolute, calculating; you seem to understand everything and accept everything.
And just as you chase the ultimate Fusion, I chase win after win with Cyber Dragon.
Whether it's Fusion, or… Xyz."
"Hikaru," he asked, "you who use only Fusion, are you really ready for the future?"
Hikaru chuckled. "Worried about me, Zane? Don't be. I've been ready a long time."
"Then show me!" Zane whipped out a card. "Cyber Revsystem, Special Summon 1 'Cyber Dragon' from my hand or GY. I Special Summon Cyber Dragon Core from my GY!"
"Battle Phase!"
"Your two attackers top out at 3000 at best, and your defender's 1600 DEF at most. Whether I swing into your attacker or that Fighting Flame Dragon, you lose."
"No, there's a line! Trap, Darklord Uprising!"
"What!?"
A card Zane had never seen before sprang open. A red nova flared in the distant sky like a warning beacon.
"Send 1 'Darklord' monster from my hand or face-up field to the GY; then send Fusion Materials for a DARK Fusion Monster from my hand/field to the GY and Fusion Summon it! Then I recover LP equal to the ATK of the monster I sent for this card's activation."
"Darklord Fusion…?"
Poison-deck duelists blinked hard. Across the world, another "fallen angel" stiffened, some even clutching a wrist by reflex. Was that card art… the Darklords' leader?
"I send [Darklord Zerato] from my hand to the GY, and Fuse the two Fusion monsters on my field!"
The two Fusions collapsed into a seething black core; with a dull, hammering thrum, a flood of purple wings unfurled behind Hikaru and lit the sky.
"Fusion Summon, Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!"
Roar!
"Oho…" Yuri's eyes flashed gold. "A Fusion Dragon, spirited, isn't it? So someone else runs that card besides me."
"Zerato's ATK is 2800, I recover 2800 LP. And Dreamland draws me 1."
Hikaru — LP: 1300 → 4100.
"Then Starving Venom's effect, if Fusion Summoned: I target 1 Special Summoned monster you control, and gain ATK equal to its original ATK! I choose Cyber End Dragon!"
[Starving Venom Fusion Dragon] — ATK: 2800 → 6800.
"It blew past Cyber End!"
"Nice! Even if Zane banishes with Nova to try for +2100, he still can't win the math!"
Zane checked his hand, then pointed at Hikaru's dragon. "Then I'll take the sure line, Cyber End Dragon attacks Fighting Flame Dragon!"
"Super Strident Blaze!"
All three maws discharged searing lances. The flamesword dragon crumpled; the shockwave slammed into Hikaru and skidded him back along the deck.
Hikaru — LP: 4100 → 1700.
"Did he just scrape by…?" A few friends watching up close swallowed.
"But next turn, Starving Venom drops back to 2800. Even if he uses its effect to run over Cyber End and clear Zane's board, Cyber Dragon Nova can still Special Summon a Machine Fusion from the Extra Deck when it goes," Bastion said, grim.
From where he stood, it was hard to see how Hikaru climbed out.
Zane glanced down at his hand.
A Cyberdark piece.
"I Set one and end my turn."
"It's basically his last turn…"
"Can Hikaru even win? He's already gone through almost all of his aces."
Hikaru drew in silence, read the name, and said nothing.
Just when everyone thought he was out of gas, he turned to look at the field spell.
"By the way, I haven't told you the whole effect of Dreamland yet."
"Hm?"
"You asked me if I was ready."
"If it were just words, just an answer, that wouldn't count as conviction."
He placed a card without flourish. "Continuous Spell, Flame Swordsman Domain. I send 1 monster from my hand to the GY; Special Summon Flame Swordsman."
The swordsman of flame stepped out, this time without a joke.
[Flame Swordsman] — Level 5 | FIRE | Warrior | 1800 ATK.
"When you graduated and landed your first Xyz in the pro circuit, the Fusion Department got rattled," Hikaru said evenly. "I told them to just believe in Fusion. No matter the monster, no matter the summoning method, if you pursue Fusion, that's enough for me.
Honestly? I said it to comfort them. I had no proof."
Around the arena, Fusion Department students scratched at their hair, sheepish.
"Chasing strength isn't wrong," Hikaru went on.
The point isn't power. It's faith."
"I can feel it, a voice calling me into a different world."
As if answering, a red streak, brighter than the Morning Star that heralded the Darklords, cut across the sky. The light washed over Hikaru, stretching his shadow across the deck.
Duel Spirits held their breath. They were starting to understand.
"Now I can prove it. I was ready all along."
"In the GY, Glow-Up Bulb! I send the top card of my Deck to the GY, then Special Summon this card!"
"What?" Zane startled.
[Glow-Up Bulb] — Level 1 | EARTH | Plant/Tuner | 100 ATK / 100 DEF.
"Ah! It's little Bulb, little Bulb! Sister Marjoram, look!"
"I see it… but at this timing…?"
Hikaru raised three fingers. "Dreamland has three faces.
If a Fusion Monster is on the field: each time a monster is sent from your hand or field to the GY by a card effect, draw 1.
If an Xyz Monster is on the field: at the end of your turn, destroy the monster with the highest Level on the field.
If a Synchro Monster is on the field: when a monster is Normal or Special Summoned, you can apply this; those monsters' Levels increase by 1."
Zane's eyes went from confusion to disbelief. All around them, friends, spirits, spectators, even Fusion Army troopers, eyes widened in unison.
They knew what was coming.
"Witness it, Zane!"
A red sheen seemed to kindle along Hikaru's frame. "I Tune Level 5 Flame Swordsman with Level 1 Glow-Up Bulb!
Become Fusion's new answer, ancient explorer of the path!
Synchro Summon! Level 6 — Muddy Mudragon!"
The two monsters became stars, and under a green ring of light, they reshaped into a fluorescent, primordial dragon.
Cold gazes pricked Hikaru's skin as Muddy Mudragon stamped into this dimension. He welcomed the chill wind without blinking.
[Muddy Mudragon] — Level 6 | DARK | Dragon/Synchro | 500 ATK / 2000 DEF.
"W-wait, what?"
"W-what is happening!?"
"Synchro Summon!? Synchro Summon!?"
"That guy, Amagi Hikaru, used Synchro Summon!?"
Across dimensions and worlds, the crowd erupted.
Why Hikaru, Zane, could employ a method other than Fusion suddenly didn't matter.
Zane stared forward, shaken enough to doubt his eyes.
Hikaru… had actually used a summoning method other than Fusion.
"I already told you, Fusion is inclusive. Fusion embraces every phenomenon. Whatever it is, whatever monster it is, Fusion can take it in.
The road ahead keeps changing, and I'm simply chasing the ultimate!"
"Spell, Fusion Tag. Target 1 monster I control; I reveal 1 Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck, and this turn the target's name becomes the revealed monster's."
Hikaru fanned his Extra Deck and revealed Flame Swordsman. "I target Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!"
"Myriad Fusion!"
Starving Venom unfurled its vast wings of light and drank in the Swordsman's aura, its name shifting in an instant.
"Watch closely!"
"Muddy Mudragon's monster effect! This Synchro Summoned monster can be used as Fusion Material, and it substitutes for any 1 specifically named material; the other materials must be correct. Right now, Starving Venom's name is 'Flame Swordsman', so it's a valid listed material!"
"A Synchro… that Fuses!?"
"Oh my god, the captain proved it!"
"Tuning leads to Fusion; a Synchro can still be part of Fusion…"
Excited, incoherent, or awed, everyone understood one thing with absolute clarity:
Hikaru had "faced the future" a long time ago.
"Swordsman of flame, dragon that bears the greatsword!"
"Gather Fusion's power, change form, and stand for me!"
"My partner, my friend, my standard!"
"Extreme Flame Swordsman!"
Starving Venom burst into amethyst fire to kindle the greatsword; Flame Swordsman set the blade, armor blooming outward until the ultimate swordsman strode forth.
Ultimate Flame Swordsman — Level 8 | FIRE | Warrior | 2800 ATK.
Students who'd holed up in their dorms threw on jackets and stepped outside, eyes lifted to the sky. Duelists who'd felt years of effort made meaningless by "Xyz" and "Synchro" felt breath return to their lungs.
The Fusion Department roared as if to crack the ceiling. The Fusion Army stood in tomb-quiet rows, some wept.
People fear the unknown.
People worry about the unknown.
But if there's an answer.
No… there may be no answer. Only work, and a direction.
Like Amagi Hikaru: absolute, steady, straight ahead.
"Ultimate Flame…" Zane stared at the new warrior, a smile blooming back onto his face before he noticed. From Flame Swordsman to Ultimate Flame Swordsman, he'd watched almost every step of Hikaru's road.
It was a wonderful feeling for a senior.
But he still had to fight. "Even if Ultimate Flame Swordsman can double its ATK, 5600 won't bring my LP to zero!"
He pointed across the deck. "And its effect self-destructs at the end of the turn, when it goes, I win!"
"Fighting Flame Dragon, GY effect. Once per turn, I can equip it to Flame Swordsman, or a monster that mentions it; the equipped monster gains 700 ATK."
Like Zane's chimera, it was an equip engine, except this one could be used every turn.
Feeling the current of "Fusion," Zane even imagined fighting alongside Hikaru one day, this card feeding "ammo" to a Cyberdark boss by repeatedly equipping to the Swordsman.
Ultimate Flame Swordsman — ATK: 2800 → 3500.
"So in battle, when it doubles—7000!?"
"So cool!"
Zane closed his eyes. Even if Nova pumped by banishing Cyber Dragon Core for +2100, 4200 wouldn't stand up to that. But,
"Quick-Play Spell-Cybernetic Zone!" Zane's eyes snapped open as he slashed a card forward. "Target 1 face-up Machine Fusion Monster I control; banish it until the End Phase, and its ATK becomes double!"
Cyber End Dragon — ATK: 4000 → 8000.
The triple-headed machine swelled until it dwarfed the ship, then turned translucent, more mirage than metal.
"Even now, at the end, Cyber Dragon and I head for a brighter future!"
Hikaru smiled. "Then I'll cut through Cyber Dragon Nova with Ultimate Flame Swordsman!"
"Xyz, Synchro… and in the end, still a Fusion duel." Zane bared his teeth. "Fine then, Cyber Dragon Nova! Banish Cyber Dragon Core from the field, don't flinch, meet it head-on!"
WHAM!
Flame washed the sky; a new sun streaked across the firmament and lit the hearts of every hesitant soul.
"Ultimate Fighting Spirit, Flame Slash Sword!"
The swordsman's silhouette flashed past Zane, then cleared its blade with a soft shing before dissolving back into fire.
A heartbeat later, Nova exploded.
Fire painted every face red.
A tower of light, like a second Babel, punched through the heavens.
Zane — LP: 2000 → 0.
...
Stones Plzz
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