Dimitri's left hand already had a Duel Disk equipped. Yubel was prepared to control his body and duel countless students and teachers, making Jaden feel pain and torment. She wasted no words, raising Dimitri's left hand.
The duel began in silence. They didn't even call "Duel."
Dimitri, LP: 4000.
Hikaru, LP: 4000.
"Hikaru!" Jaden clutched his stomach and slowly got up, watching anxiously.
The thing controlling Dimitri was no ordinary being. Syrus and Hassleberry were already quite strong, yet they lost in an instant. Moreover, his own Heroes, who had braved countless hardships across spirit dimensions, had zero ability to resist this entity. Only Neos could withstand the attacks.
And that was in a possessed, controlled state. If it were the real thing...
Too dangerous!
No wonder Avian had been so panicked.
"My turn. Draw." Dimitri smirked and drew a card.
He glanced at his hand, a confident expression crossing his face. "Good. Excellent hand!"
Hikaru frowned slightly.
This "Dimitri" seemed to still be Dimitri...
No?
Or rather, Yubel seemed to be controlling Dimitri, using his personal abilities supplemented with her own power to duel?
Yubel, operating Dimitri, revealed a card with one hand. Nearby, Jaden kept his distance from Viper while watching the duel.
What Deck would this entity controlling Dimitri use?
Yubel looked at Dimitri's hand.
Honestly, she had been a bit hasty earlier.
According to her original plan, after encountering Jaden, she would first trash-talk him, pressuring and tormenting his heart. But she hadn't seen Jaden in so long, and the "Beloved Contact" incident had left her extremely agitated. So when Jaden showed up, she had been too impatient, completely failing to utilize Dimitri's mimicry ability to lower Jaden's guard before striking, which would have been far more effective torment.
But it didn't matter.
She had possessed Dimitri precisely for this moment: to duel Hikaru, then seize the body of Jaden's current best friend, plunging Jaden deeper into suffering and love.
She sneered and drew a card from her hand. "Continuous Spell: Brilliant Fusion."
Brilliant Fusion!!
Jaden's eyes widened.
Hikaru's signature Fusion Spell. The Gem-Knight Fusion Spell.
How was this possible? Someone other than Hikaru had it?!
Where had this spirit gotten it??
The answer was...
Dimitri's own card.
Hikaru's brow furrowed deeply.
In truth, Dimitri didn't just have Brilliant Fusion. He even had the Equip Spell version of Future Fusion. Because he genuinely idolized Hikaru, possessed certain special talents, and most importantly was quite wealthy, Dimitri had amassed a large collection of rare cards.
Even Ancient Gear Golem, which Hikaru had struggled to obtain just one copy of, Dimitri had three. He was from a genuinely affluent family.
His special talent, family wealth, and admiration for Hikaru led Dimitri to collect massive quantities of Hikaru-related cards. Already excellent at mimicking dueling styles, he could use them without feeling awkward. Having these cards was perfectly natural.
The very first time Hikaru met Dimitri, they had engaged in an almost mirror-match duel.
On the other side, Yubel was extremely skilled at utilizing a host's talents. Never mind Dimitri. In the original story, Yubel had possessed Jesse and expertly wielded a hybrid Deck of Crystal Beasts, Sacred Beasts, and Yubel cards.
Although Hikaru hadn't expected Yubel to control Dimitri's body, he could at least anticipate that she would have no trouble using Dimitri's Deck.
"Brilliant Fusion's effect: I use Fusion Materials from the Deck, reducing one Gem-Knight monster's ATK and DEF to 0 for the Fusion Summon." Yubel picked up Dimitri's Deck, browsed through it, and smirked coldly.
"Fusion conditions: Gem-Knight Lapis and a Gem-Knight monster."
"I fuse Gem-Knight Lapis and Gem-Knight Emerald from the Deck."
"Appear! Gem-Knight Aquamarine!"
A familiar Gem-Knight appeared on Yubel's field. But compared to Hikaru's righteous knight, this Aquamarine was visibly wreathed in black smoke, tangible and intimidating.
"This..." Master Diamond, watching the scene, was momentarily speechless. She nearly shouted in fury but stopped herself, worried about distracting Hikaru mid-duel.
Gem-Knight Aquamarine. Level 6, EARTH Attribute, Aqua-Type. DEF 0.
"Why Aquamarine?" Jaden blurted out.
Nearby, Avian flew back slowly, half a wing folded. Jaden hurried to tend to him.
Avian saw the scene too and instinctively voiced the same question. Why Aquamarine?!
It might seem odd and eerie, but using a card Hikaru commonly played wasn't exactly rare in the dueling world. Apart from unique cards like Crystal Beasts or Destiny HEROes, most cards existed in multiple copies. It wasn't a big deal.
But...
For Hikaru and Dimitri, Aquamarine was special.
"So you remember, Chief." Yubel spoke through Dimitri's body and voice. "This card was the key card that won you victory in our very first duel. I didn't expect you to still remember."
Hikaru remained silent, his face expressionless, thoughts unreadable.
"I worked so hard studying your Fusion, your ultimate Fusion. I filled my Deck with Fusion cards. Now, seeing your beloved monster on the enemy's field, doesn't it make you feel how things have changed?"
"Stop spouting nonsense with Dimitri's face and voice. I know you're not him." Hikaru spoke calmly.
"Hmph..." Despite being exposed, Yubel didn't care.
She hadn't expected to fool Hikaru, who had identified disguised spirits by sight on the very first day of Darkness's invasion.
Besides, this was part of her plan.
"You know I'm not him? That's perfect." Yubel's tone suddenly shifted. "This kid, even right before falling completely into his dream, was still thinking about helping you all. Ha ha ha!"
Hikaru's expression darkened slightly.
Seeing Hikaru's face finally change, Yubel felt a surge of satisfaction.
Ever since she saw Hikaru and Jaden use "Beloved Contact" in a tag duel, fusing that cursed Shining Flare Wingman with Neos, her hatred for Hikaru had reached its peak. Now, she would absolutely make Hikaru suffer.
And conveniently, Jaden could watch Hikaru being tormented in her duel.
"Hikaru, you've betrayed your classmate's trust in you."
"That's nonsense! Hikaru has always worked his hardest! He's done more than enough!" Jaden shot back.
Yubel sneered. "Enough? Really? You don't know yet, do you, Jaden? That day, the enormous serpentine otherworldly god hovering over this island was this person's partner.
If Hikaru really did enough, shouldn't he have found a way to maintain that purgatorial fire, reducing spirit attacks on your classmates?"
A vicious smile spread across Dimitri's face as Yubel poked at her own cheek. "Ha ha ha. This kid was desperate to help you until the very end, yet you never even used your full power?"
This...?
Jaden looked at Hikaru.
Whether he had given his all... honestly, even he probably hadn't truly put everything on the line.
But he immediately dismissed the thought.
He would not doubt Hikaru.
Because they were true friends.
Yubel watched Hikaru's changing expression. Controlling Dimitri's body, on Dimitri's forehead, slightly above the bridge of his nose, a "crack" slowly opened. A single eye began to twist and flicker eerily, studying Hikaru.
The power of darkness, the power of light, manifested on Yubel's body.
Her eye could see through a person's heart, perceiving the darkness within.
If she could detect Hikaru's weakness, she could strike precisely at it, then resurrect directly inside his body, seize it, and be together with Jaden in love...
But when this eye's light fell upon Hikaru, after a brief ripple, there was absolutely no effect.
Tch.
This level of mental probing was far from enough.
"I Set three cards. Turn end."
Three?
Hikaru's eyes narrowed sharply.
Compared to Yubel's bizarre trash talk, these three Set cards actually stirred his emotions.
"My turn. Draw."
Hikaru drew, glancing at his hand.
Gem-Knight Aquamarine's effect: when sent from the field to the Graveyard, target one card your opponent controls and return it to the hand.
As a leaving-the-field disruption, back when Hikaru had few defensive options, he had been quite fond of this effect. With limited first-turn boards, every tool counted.
But as time passed, this effect had become far less potent.
After all, its trigger condition was merely "sent from the field to the Graveyard." Not even "when this card is sent to the Graveyard" or "when this card leaves the field." Because of this, Hikaru actually had several other options.
First, the simplest method was naturally "banishing."
"Normal Summon: Predaplant Sundew Kingii."
A lizard composed of green leaves spread its flower crown and hopped onto Hikaru's field.
Predaplant Sundew Kingii. Level 2, DARK Attribute, Plant-Type. ATK 600.
"Predaplant Sundew Kingii can, during the Main Phase, Fusion Summon using itself and monsters from the hand or field." Seeing this monster, Yubel instantly deduced Hikaru's plan. "You're going to use Sundew Kingii's effect to Fusion Summon Predaplant Chimerafflesia, right?
Chimerafflesia can directly banish an opponent's monster with a lower Level, and Aquamarine's effect only activates when sent to the Graveyard. Once banished, it's useless.
Hmph. He's watched you do this who knows how many times."
Hikaru frowned, ignoring Yubel's words, and activated Sundew Kingii's effect. "Sundew Kingii's effect: during my Main Phase, I perform a DARK Fusion using monsters from my hand and field.
I fuse Edge Imp Chain from my hand with Predaplant Sundew Kingii on my field!"
"Descend! Predaplant Chimerafflesia!"
Hikaru's enormous flower crown began growing savagely through the devastated forest, engulfing it in moments.
Predaplant Chimerafflesia. Level 7, DARK Attribute, Plant-Type. ATK 2500.
"Edge Imp Chain's effect: when sent from the hand or field to the Graveyard, add one Frightfur card from the Deck to my hand." Hikaru continued chaining seamlessly.
"Chimerafflesia possesses the ability to directly banish lower-Level opponents, boost its ATK, and even search for a Fusion Spell when sent to the Graveyard. It's one of the monsters that symbolizes Fusion." Yubel remarked casually. "I've always wanted to obtain this kind of Fusion, this kind of power, Chief.
But that monster has one fatal weakness!
Just like Gem-Knight Aquamarine, it has a flaw: if it's banished, it also has no effect!"
?
"Flip Set card: Bottomless Trap Hole! When a monster with 1500 or more ATK is Normal Summoned, Special Summoned, or Flip Summoned: destroy and banish those monsters!"
Jaden's brow furrowed.
Indeed, Chimerafflesia had excellent abilities. But if it was banished, everything was lost.
And moreover...
Bottomless Trap Hole was a card Dimitri had used in his previous duel against Hikaru.
The thought gave him pause. His mind wandered briefly before he shook his head clear.
It's fine. Hikaru will be fine!
Hikaru had clearly anticipated this. He swiftly played his second card. "Quick-Play Spell: De-Fusion! I target one Fusion Monster on the field. That monster returns to the Extra Deck. If a complete set of Fusion Materials used for that monster are in the Graveyard, I can Special Summon them to my field!"
A pit opened beneath the flower, but just as it was about to swallow it, the flower instantly disassembled into a chain demon and a small green-leaf lizard.
"Then, resolving Edge Imp Chain's effect: I add Frightfur Patchwork to my hand and activate it." Hikaru didn't pause for a moment. "I add Fusion Substitute and a second Edge Imp Chain from my Deck to my hand."
"Beautiful! Not only did he dodge the Trap, he got a new Fusion card! And Fusion Substitute can be recycled later for an extra draw!" Jaden couldn't help getting excited at the sight.
As expected, Hikaru was incredible! No need to worry about Hikaru at all!
"Impressive. Truly impressive, Chief." Yubel clapped slowly, showing no embarrassment at having her tactic dodged. On the contrary, she seemed perfectly relaxed. "It's as if you were already prepared to eat my Trap, dodge it, and Fuse again."
"Obviously." Chazz had followed the commotion and arrived at some point. Hearing Yubel's words, he snorted coldly. "Hikaru's Fusion is the ultimate Fusion, the absolute Fusion. Nobody can stop him from Fusing."
Then he positioned himself at Jaden's side, carefully shielding him from Viper while whispering for Jaden to try waking Syrus and Hassleberry.
"Absolute Fusion, complete Fusion, ultimate Fusion... Ah, how enviable." Yubel smiled. "But what I see is 'Fusion that absolutely leaves nothing behind,' 'Fusion that completely devours,' and 'Fusion of ultimate selfishness.'"
"What nonsense!" Chazz was instantly furious.
With a single sentence, Yubel had infuriated him to the core.
The reason was simple. That statement essentially denied the "foundational logic" of Hikaru and the entire Fusion Division family!
He raged at Yubel. "Whatever sweet words and schemes you're using, get out of Dimitri's body right now, you evil spirit!"
"Sweet words and schemes? Heh, don't get it twisted."
"This person came to me of his own accord."
On Dimitri's face, a savage, manic grin spread. His teeth were almost entirely bared, the clean white teeth morphing into shark-like fangs. The crazed smile revealed a twisted, eerie air, as though the entire person had become a demon.
"It was your inaction, your negligence, your disregard that forced this human to seek out power, to summon a powerful spirit, to find ways to help you useless lot!"
"It's because of your incompetence, your inaction, your failure to protect this school that he had to find a way to save himself!"
"The one at fault isn't him. It's you! Your incompetence! And you dare call yourselves guardians? You dare call yourselves heroes?!"
Chazz was overwhelmed by Yubel's powerful spiritual pressure and words, unable to muster a rebuttal. Jaden, upon hearing "dare call yourselves heroes," went pale.
If...
If Dimitri really did what this spirit claimed, then the fault lay with them. No, with him...
"Stop twisting the narrative! The one who stole Dimitri's body is you!" Hikaru, without a shred of hesitation, spoke up the moment the other two faltered. "What 'his own choice,' 'his own summoning.' Do you think we're idiots?
Even if he summoned you, even if he wanted power and called upon a demon, the one who actually stole his body is still you!
Where the core problem lies, do you really think I can't see it?
Stop sugar-coating yourself, demon! I won't fall for your tricks!"
Even this couldn't shake his composure?
Yubel's third eye scrutinized Hikaru from every angle, somewhat incredulous.
Was the evidence insufficient?
She couldn't help showing a cruel, excited smile.
Then... she would continue!