Inside a vast coliseum, with torches lining its perimeter, countless duel spirits surround the ritual platform, watching this duel from another dimension.
At the moment, this is a disappointing duel for them. The human's turn was so ordinary, that it could only be described as mundane, failing to excite these warriors. They couldn't understand why Lord Chaos Warrior, the Black Luster Soldier, had them come to watch.
"My turn, draw."
Hikaru drew a card and carefully examined his hand.
'Nice, this draw is pretty good!'
"I activate the Spell Card, Instant Fusion!"
"Instant Fusion?" The well-versed Black Luster Soldier immediately recognized the card.
"Oh, oh, oh! Are we finally going to see Hikaru's full Fusion Deck?" Jaden excitedly exclaimed from the side.
"Full Fusion Deck?" The two opponents exchanged confused glances.
It sounded impressive, but what did it mean?
"I pay 1000 life points... Ugh..." Hikaru felt a sharp pain in his body.
'So this is the "real" duel, huh? It's surely intense!'
[Jaden & Hikaru, LP: 5900 → 4900]
"This card allows me to Special Summon a Fusion Monster with Levels 5 or less from my Extra Deck."
"Wow, it's the same type of effect as Ready Fusion!"
'Same type? It's the ultimate upgrade!'
"I Special Summon from my Extra Deck—Thousand-Eyes Restrict!"
The evil god, covered in eyes, emerged from the instant noodle cup.
"Uh..." Jaden's excitement paused for a moment.
It was a bit gross.
[Thousand-Eyes Restrict] Level 1│DARK│Spellcaster│0 ATK
"Thousand-Eyes Restrict!" Gaia exclaimed in surprise.
As a Duel Monster Spirit, he, of course, knew this famous evil god!
Hikaru also liked this card a lot.
Although it looked a bit ugly, that didn't matter!
The goal of a true duelist is to be number one in the world. Gender and looks don't matter, as long as it's strong!
So, when he fused this monster using Super Polymerization during recent duels, he was extremely happy, because there were quite a few ways in his deck to bring this card out!
"I activate the effect of Thousand-Eyes Restrict. Once per turn, it can target one monster on your field. That monster becomes equipped to this monster as an Equip Card!"
Each of Thousand-Eyes Restrict's many eyes emitted eerie purple light. It shined on the demon woman, transforming her into a shadow and devouring her into its body.
"Ugh..." Avian shivered with goosebumps.
As a Fusion material for Inferno Wing, seeing its evolved form being "eaten" was incredibly unsettling.
"Thousand-Eyes Restrict can take your monsters as its own power, increasing its attack," Avian said. "But, if I'm not mistaken, a monster Special Summoned by Instant Fusion will be destroyed at the end of the turn!"
He flapped his wings as if dispelling the malice. "No matter how strong a monster is, once it disappears, it becomes meaningless!"
"I, of course, know that." Hikaru quickly followed up, revealing another card from his hand. "I activate the Continuous Spell Card, Flame Swordsrealm!"
A massive ring of fire illuminated the arena.
"Once per turn, I can send one monster from my hand or field in face-up Attack Position to the Graveyard to Special Summon one 'Flame Swordsman' from my Extra Deck as a Fusion Summon!"
"I send the Thousand-Eyes Restrict on the field to the Graveyard and Fusion Summon, Flame Swordsman!"
[Flame Swordsman] Level 5│FIRE│Warrior│1800 ATK
"Wow! It's me!" A spirit in the stands couldn't contain their excitement upon seeing themselves summoned.
It was probably similar to the feeling of "appearing on TV."
"Got Thousand-Eyes Restrict out there, bro. This is a huge win!"
"Nice, nice, if he wins this, I'll definitely help him out!"
Still unaware that he had gained a warrior's approval simply by pulling off a combination, Hikaru continued with his move.
"I activate the Equip Spell Card, Salamandra Fusion. This Equip Spell Card can only be equipped to Fire Attribute Warrior-type monsters, and the equipped monster's attack increases by 700 points."
[Flame Swordsman, ATK: 1800 → 2500]
"Another Fusion?" Now everyone understood what Hikaru's so-called "Full Fusion Deck" was all about.
"A deck entirely composed of Fusion cards, can that truly work?"
"Well, this warrior from another dimension is using it, right?"
"True, but if he weren't the second player in a tag duel, he wouldn't have had the chance to use Thousand-Eyes Restrict to devour a monster and then perform a tribute Fusion Summon, would he?"
Whether in the human world or the spirit world, when people saw such an extreme deck, there would be some discussion.
"Hey, you guys! Stop talking nonsense!" Before Hikaru could speak, Jaden was already shouting excitedly at them. "Hikaru is chasing the ultimate fusion, the noble art of Fusion Summoning. Don't disturb him!"
"Ultimate Fusion?"
"He indeed is a warrior with a clear pursuit!"
Hikaru stroked his chin. With this kind of speech, he could boast to the passionate enthusiasts in the Fusion Club, but in front of spirits…
'Forget it!'
'If you're going to lie, lie to yourself!'
'Anyway, it's fun!'
"That's right, Fusion is the most noble form of summoning! I attack directly with Flame Swordsman!"
[Avian & Gaia, LP: 8000 → 5500]
"Alright! Great counterattack, Hikaru!"
"It's still early, don't get careless," Hikaru replied, a little speechless. He glanced at his hand and thought for a moment. "I set two cards and end my turn."
"An exciting turn. Destroyed a monster, summoned a powerful monster, and even left some face-down cards." Gaia, sitting opposite Hikaru, nodded lightly and commented, "But this isn't nearly enough!"
"My turn. Draw."
"I activate the Ritual spell Card, Chaos Ritual. I offer Key Mace and Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight from my hand as tributes and Ritual Summon—"
"Black Luster Soldier!"
The noble warrior crossed the boundaries of light and dark, descending from the sky, as if the whole world was cheering for him, murmuring his name.
Hikaru and Jaden both looked at the Black Luster Soldier on the referee's platform, but the warrior showed no emotional reaction.
[Black Luster Soldier] Level 8│EARTH│Warrior│3000 ATK
Gaia confidently spoke: "In my village of Gaia, all warriors strive for the ultimate goal of the Ritual of Chaos!"
"Ritual Summoning is the most respected form of summoning in the world! A novice warrior like you would never understand!"
That might be true.
If someone constantly pursues Ritual Summoning, they deserve some respect.
After all, Ritual Summoning requires Ritual Monsters to be summoned, but… then again, in Hikaru's era, many Ritual Monsters no longer even required Ritual spells to summon!
"Hikaru, how are your face-down cards?" Jaden noticed the appearance of the Black Luster Soldier, gulped, and quickly called out to Hikaru.
Hikaru shook his head.
As a seasoned duelist, he wasn't about to casually use his cards. Different opponents required different strategies. And more importantly… this was "Black Luster Soldier."
Sure enough, as Hikaru had feared, Gaia immediately revealed another card from his hand: "I banish from my graveyard the Dark Attribute 'Me' and the Light Attribute Key Mace, descend!"
"Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning!"
A Black Luster Soldier far brighter and more radiant than the Ritual version descended from the sky, his entire form glowing with golden light, as if he were the sun itself.
[Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning] Level 8│LIGHT│Warrior│3000 ATK
"Wow, that's strong! Two monsters on the level of Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Jaden shouted in excitement. "I can feel my blood boiling!"
Hikaru's expression grew serious.
Two Black Luster Soldiers, this meant Gaia's spirit power was no low level! He might even truly become a new "Black Luster Soldier"!
"Now's my chance! I activate the Trap Card, Salamandra With Chain, and equip it to the Flame Swordsman, increasing its attack by 700 points, while also choosing one monster on the field to be set face-down!"
[Flame Swordsman, ATK: 2500 → 3200]
"What!" Gaia's face, hidden behind his mask, showed surprise.
"The one I chose is, of course, the Envoy of the Beginning!"
Leaving the Envoy of the Beginning on the field would only create trouble for himself! He might even lose his life if the attack came!
"Incredible work, bro! You set down the Envoy of the Beginning!"
"Say no more, I've never felt this great before, it's like a dream come true!"
In the audience, the Flame Swordsman and his friends were already cheering.
"That's amazing, Hikaru! Not only did you defend against that difficult Envoy of the Beginning, but you also created a powerful monster with 3200 Attack! Now the opponent's attack..."
"Naive!" Gaia sneered, "I activate the Equip Spell, United We Stand. Equip it to the Black Luster Soldier.
For every face-up monster I control, its ATK increases by 800!"
[Black Luster Soldier, ATK: 3000 → 3800]
"This is bad, now it's stronger than the Flame Swordsman!"
"Black Luster Soldier, attack the Flame Swordsman!"
The Black Luster Soldier instantly disappeared from his side of the field and suddenly teleported right in front of the Flame Swordsman, striking down with a single sword swing.
"A monster equipped with Salamandra Fusion can replace itself to prevent destruction!"
"But it doesn't prevent the damage!"
[Jaden & Hikaru, LP: 4900 → 4300]
[Flame Swordsman, ATK: 3200 → 2500]
"Ha..." Hikaru let out a sigh of relief.
Jaden had set up so many flags today that Hikaru was barely keeping up.
"Did you see that? A Ritual Monster defeated a Fusion Monster!" Gaia's smile curled upward. "I set one card face-down and end my turn!"
"That's incredible, to be capable of handling the Black Luster Soldier like that!"
"Plus, he even protected his monster!"
"Ultimate Fusion, huh..."
"I'm kind of tempted to follow this warrior."