Yu-Gi-Oh: Fusion Is the Noblest Summoning Method! Chapter 96 96: First Direct Clash

"Who goes there!?"

Dimitri's shout was so loud that the masked man imdiately turned to look, and soon after, Hikaru also spotted him. His face changed, and he lowered his voice. "Tierra, why didn't you warn ?"

"That wasn't part of our agreent," Tierra shrugged.

Besides, from her perspective, he was just an ordinary human. Soone like that had nothing to do with the Duel. At most, he was just a spectator adding so flavor to the scene. No big deal.

However, upon seeing Dimitri, the masked man's eyes lit up. The red flas around him flared violently and lunged toward Dimitri like they ant to consu him.

In seconds, Dimitri was entangled by a long serpent of fire.

"Stop right there, Amaki Hikaru!" the masked man roared. "If you care about this guy's life, don't move! You plan to use Thousand-Eyes Restrict to lock Uria down, don't you? Forget it! I..."

"How dare you!"

Before Hikaru could reply, a brilliant violet light burst from Tierra. In the next instant, both the masked man and Dimitri could visibly see Tierra's petite, adorable form.

With a cold face, she raised her right hand. A complex, beautiful staff appeared in it, and nurous purple puppet strings burst from the sky, entangling the flas and Dimitri.

Boom!

Before the masked man could react, Dimitri was forcefully yanked over to Hikaru's side.

Dimitri, dazed and confused, had no idea what had just happened, only feeling grateful to be alive.

Tierra, however, glared coldly at the opponent.

If the Duel weren't still ongoing, she would have killed him on the spot.

Since awakening, Tierra had learned the rules of this era's rituals. In her eyes, underhanded tricks like these were the sort of sches only the most despicable scum would resort to. Sure, she could, too, probably threaten people into Duels if she wanted.

Yes, she was a devious god. But that didn't an she would stoop to such tricks during a ritual!

Besides, while Hikaru was the one dueling, Tierra had been guiding him the whole ti. In a way, she was also a participant. To dare pull such tactics in her presence, you had a death wish!

"Hikaru, finish this guy off already!" she growled.

Did this fool know how humiliating it was for a delicate, weak god to be subjected to such disgrace on her first ti watching a Duel!?

And on top of that, she had maintained her divine dignity in front of Hikaru, only for so mortal to almost take a spectator hostage right under her nose. The embarrassnt!

Hikaru nodded, his expression dark. "Then I Special Summon Thousand-Eyes Restrict in Defense Position. Well? Anything else?"

The masked man gasped heavily.

His body had already been weakened by the Sacred Beast. Now, wrapped in Tierra's magic, it felt like his neck might snap at any second. He looked like death was right around the corner.

Thousand-Eyes Restrict's effect ant no other monsters could attack or change battle positions while it was on the field.

In other words, he couldn't attack.

Even with 6000 ATK, if you can't swing, you can't win.

"Hmph, whatever. I end my turn."

He thought he might still be able to continue.

Thousand-Eyes Restrict may absorb Sacred Beasts, but whenever it absorbs a monster with "?" ATK, the absorbed value was always treated as 0.

"My turn, draw!"

"I activate Thousand-Eyes Restrict's effect, absorb the Sacred Beast!"

Bathed in the evil god's light, the blazing crimson dragon was enveloped. It should have been painful, but instead, it let out a low cry of release and peace as it fused into the body of the Restrict.

[Thousand-Eyes Restrict, ATK: 0]

"Tch, all I have to do is destroy Thousand-Eyes next turn and discard another Trap to revive Uria." He still believed in his monster.

"It's true, up till now I couldn't defeat your Sacred Beast head-on," Hikaru said, "But I don't need to. My Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem can just attack directly."

"Hmph, Thousand-Eyes isn't Fusion Material. You destroyed Fla Swordsrealm. What can you do to send it to the Graveyard?"

"That's easy," Hikaru revealed a card. "Quick-Play Spell, De-Fusion."

"!!"

"I can Target 1 Fusion Monster on the field; return it to the Extra Deck." Hikaru looked him dead in the eye. "Surely even you know this one?"

"You, damn it!"

"I Return Thousand-Eyes Restrict to the Extra Deck! Its equipped Sacred Beast is sent to your Graveyard. Now take this punch!

Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem, direct attack, Ultimate Slam!"

As Hikaru roared the command, Tierra raised her hand, channeling her purple puppet threads into the Golem. Boosted by her power, the Golem slamd a terrifying punch into the masked man, faster than the eye could follow.

When the dust settled, the masked man lay collapsed on the ground.

Then, unexpectedly, he stiffly rose again like a puppet, his body creaking with unnatural sounds.

"So this is your Duel. Step by step, laying traps, baiting the enemy in. A very Crowler-like strategy."

"Who are you?" Hikaru asked sharply. The man before him was no longer the sa as earlier.

"That doesn't matter."

'Doesn't matter?' Hikaru scoffed.

That tone, that posture, still the Fusion Army.

Who else could it be?

Leo Akaba?

The masked man looked at Tierra. "Such a cold, wicked power. I see now. Hikaru, you're not as righteous as you pretend to be."

People saw what they wanted in others, the mont he saw "Winda," he decided Hikaru was just like him.

"So the reason you dare oppose the Fusion Army with Crowler, is because of that Spirit, huh?

Strong and malevolent as it may be, it's still nowhere near the level of the true Sacred Beasts!"

He was confident.

Though he didn't reveal the actual cards, through Duel Spirit experints, he had developed the technology to steal power and manufacture replicas. The Ancient Gear Hounds were mass-produced using that tech.

Over the break, he even succeeded in replicating a single Uria.

Just one. It needed a human sacrifice, after all, and after use, it would break. But none of that mattered.

This power... thrilled him.

It surpassed anything he found in the alternate dinsions.

"What nerve!" Tierra was livid.

'Sacred Beasts? They dare compare themselves to ?'

'Did this mortal body give you illusions?'

"This was just a little test. Next ti, if you don't learn your place…" the man said as his body collapsed completely, "It won't be a foot soldier you're dealing with."

Pure posturing. He only had one copy of Uria and picked Hikaru as a test subject; nonetheless, since he lost, he had to end with tough talk.

Then his body lost all strength, and he passed out.

He didn't even plan to retrieve the replica card. It was disposable, and with the test subject nearly dead, there was no need.

Hikaru ran over and checked for breath. Barely alive. He glanced at the opponent's Deck, which had been reduced to ash, the flas of the Sacred Beast still burning around.

And there, lying amidst the remnants, was a cracked card.

Uria, Lord of Searing Flas.

Unlike the blank, unnad versions in this world, this one had detailed effects written on it. Albeit it was heavily damaged.

He promptly picked it up.

"Hikaru," Tierra said with an icy voice, "Take that card. What an arrogant, ignorant mortal. Did he really think sothing like a Sacred Beast could be casually copied, used, and discarded? How foolish."

"I know. This card once housed a piece of a Sacred Beast's will. That alone makes it priceless."

Hikaru nodded, carefully pocketing the cracked Uria, even if it looked broken now, in ti, who could say which side held the real power?

Moreover, He never expected this. To walk away with a Sacred Beast card for free?

It was a serious situation though he couldn't help feeling a little amused.