Late at night.
Hikaru walked along the path back to the dorm. Behind him, a figure in yellow was hiding within the trees, secretly tailing him.
It was Dimitri, the sa one who had lost to Hikaru just a few days ago. He had once again set his sights on mimicking Hikaru.
He always felt his imitation of Hikaru wasn't quite good enough, so now he had decided to stalk him, aiming to replicate even the smallest details.
Tierra glanced at him but didn't bother reporting it to Hikaru.
Mortals like that didn't interest her.
What intrigued her more was soone else.
"You've been tailing for long enough. Ti to show yourself, don't you think?" Hikaru suddenly turned around, startling Dimitri into a jolt, nearly jumping out to apologize.
But just as he was about to crawl out of the bushes, he saw another silhouette slowly erging from the air itself, surrounded by crimson light and dim black mist.
Only then did Dimitri realize, Hikaru wasn't talking to him.
His realization was quickly replaced with terror.
What the hell was that?
What's going on?
It felt like he was seeing the world for the first ti.
"Amaki Hikaru, you have long been a thorn in the side of our Fusion Army," the masked figure sneered, black mist surging from his body—so thick it was more intense than even Prismaura had ever shown. "Today, let's see if you have the guts to accept my Duel."
Hikaru raised a brow. "I figured you were here for , but I didn't expect you to be so direct."
"What's the matter? You pride yourself on being a traditional duelist, right?" The masked Fusion Army student grinned coldly. "So what about this most direct and simple Duel? Do you have the courage to accept!?"
Hikaru didn't waste a word. He activated his Duel Disk.
"If you lose, then tell what you people have been up to lately."
"Heh, of course.
After all, why else co to such a remote place if not for a Duel?"
Compared to investigation and exploration, a direct Duel was the simplest and most efficient thod in this world. Hikaru wasn't even worried about his opponent reneging after losing—he always had ways of enforcing the terms of a Duel.
"Duel!" x2
[Hikaru, LP: 4000]
[Masked Duelist, LP: 4000]
With their shouts, burning red-black energy erupted from the Fusion Army duelist, engulfing the entire surrounding forest in a crimson mist. The fog wrapped the area in a thin haze, as if they'd entered a different realm—it'd be like a post-apocalyptic scene.
Sothing about it felt oddly familiar to Hikaru.
"Hikaru," Tierra observed with mild interest, "Looks like so sort of barrier. It separates those inside from the real world. Even if it's a Shadow Duel, innocent bystanders won't be hard."
Hikaru nodded.
Didn't expect this masked guy to be so concerned with stealth.
"My turn!" the masked figure shouted, drawing a card. He looked at it, then laughed loudly. "I set three cards and end my turn."
'Three Set cards?'
Hikaru sensed sothing but couldn't quite believe it. He drew. "Draw phase. Hm..."
"Now, I activate Continuous Trap, Anti-Spell Fragrance!"
A giant cauldron appeared beside the masked duelist, releasing a ghostly aroma.
"As long as this card is on the field, neither player can activate Spell Cards unless they are Set first. Until that player's next turn after setting, Spells can't be used at all!"
Dimitri, watching from the trees, was shocked.
'Crap, most Fusion cards are Spell Cards!'
If Hikaru couldn't use them—no, even if he had to wait a turn to use them, that was a huge restriction!
"Interesting," Tierra glanced over and pointed at Hikaru's hand. "So you can't use that card?"
Hikaru nodded.
"In response to your Trap's activation, I activate Quick-Play Spell, Scapegoat!" He played his card. "This summons four Sheep Tokens to my field."
Under the rules of Duel order, later-activated cards don't care about previous restrictions, so Quick-Plays still work as chains.
"Then I Set one card and end my turn."
"Heh heh heh! So even you are helpless before this card!" The Fusion Army student laughed, "Resorting to stall tactics like this!"
"Shut up!" Though seemingly the one suppressed, Hikaru snapped back without giving an inch.
"You claim Fusion is the noblest Summoning thod—yet your first move is to block your opponent's Fusion?
You have the nerve to preach, yet here you are using lockdowns? If you have real strength, show it already!"
The masked duelist flinched under his mask, then drew with rage. "Hmph, I'll crush that arrogant mouth of yours!"
He looked at his hand, then broke into manic laughter.
"Hahahaha. Amagi Hikaru! Witness the power I've obtained!
I reveal all three Set cards: Continuous Trap Enervating Mist, Continuous Trap Royal Prison!"
'Ah, so that was it.'
Hikaru understood instantly. Sort of. Though he still found it hard to believe.
"I Tribute all three Continuous Traps to the Graveyard! Special Summon!"
The three Trap Cards ignited into pillars of fla that turned the gray world crimson.
Simultaneously, the masked duelist scread as his body was consud by fire. Within seconds, he was reduced to a scorched husk, barely able to lift his limbs.
A crimson-scaled, clawed, and winged dragon descended into the smoky battlefield.
Its entire body shimred with red scales, its gaping maw filled with jagged teeth. Its golden eyes glowed like blades, frightening Dimitri into tumbling backward.
The whole realm felt like it had jumped several temperature levels, causing Hikaru to frown.
"Uria, Lord of Searing Flas!"
[Uria, Lord of Searing Flas] Level 10│FIRE│Pyro│ATK: ?
"Uria's ATK equals 1000 tis the number of Trap Cards in the Graveyard!" The masked duelist moved with undead stiffness, like a puppet.
[Uria, Lord of Searing Flas, ATK: 0 –› 3000]
"Hmm." Tierra tilted her head with interest. "Hikaru, its spiritual status isn't bad."
"Nonetheless, it looks even worse off than ." She lifted her hand. "Not only was it split off, but even the split fragnt seems incomplete."
'That lunatic really does love stirring trouble, huh?'
Hikaru frowned at the Sacred Beast before him.
Now he was certain, Kagemaru had definitely been killed by Leo Akaba.
He glanced at the masked duelist. Half his body had been scorched away. Would he even survive this duel?
"Then, I activate Trap Card, Fla Swordsdance! I Special Summon Fla Swordsman in Defense Position from my Extra Deck and use it to set Uria!"
"Hah! Pointless. Uria is unaffected by Trap Cards."
"Trap immunity," the masked duelist stated flatly.
Uria opened its jaws and emitted a shrill, destructive sound.
Flas from Fla Sword dance lashed at Uria, yet not even a spark left a mark.
That surprised Hikaru.
The version of Uria summoned via Continuous Traps was supposed to be nerfed. In the original, Uria only required any Trap Card as tribute, while it lost immunity to Traps and gained only one-turn resistance to Spells.
That's why Hikaru had tried Fla Swordsdance to set it.
But to find it still had resistance, odd.
"Next, Uria, attack Fla Swordsman! Scorching Energy Devour!"
Fla Swordsman tried to protest, but the oncoming flas made him raise his sword to block instinctively, before he was consud in fire.
"Hahaha! See that, Hikaru? This is the new power of the Fusion Army!" His desiccated voice grated out, "Today, I will make you feel the pain I've endured."
"New power, huh.
"Hmph! As I thought, you lot don't even respect Duels, let alone Fusion!
Now you don't even care about the Duelists themselves!"
"Fine then. I'll shatter that foolish delusion of yours right here and now!"
User Comments
0 comments from readers