Hikaru's turn. He looked at his hand, then glanced at his opponent.
This attire, this Duel Disk. In all likelihood this was that person.
Shay Obsidian.
The man with the most panache in the early Yu-Gi-Oh ARC-V, and the main figure in one of the coolest duels of the original series.
Hikaru had done research on the participating duelists earlier and knew that someone was using the Raidraptor deck, so he wasn't surprised at Shay showing up in this dimension.
He flipped through his hand and revealed a card: "I set Metalfoes Volflame, Scale 8, in the Pendulum Scale."
Rumble, rumble. An enormous red motorcycle rose beside Hikaru. Then a pillar of soul-light enveloped it, rising up, and an "8" was etched into the pillar.
The mystery person, or rather Shay Obsidian, narrowed his eyes and watched this scene.
Because he had long known Hikaru used a Qliphort deck, he wasn't shocked at the appearance of Pendulum. He only grew more wary in his heart.
A Fusion Dimension duelist, so quickly folding the powers of other dimensions into his own system, just what was he trying to do!
And besides.
Metalfoes monsters.
This too was a card this man had never used before.
As expected, this guy still had all kinds of secrets hidden away!
"No response? Fine then. I set Raremetalfoes Bismugear, Scale 8, in the Pendulum Scale."
This time, it was a purple-haired figure riding a green motorbike.
Two 8s shone simultaneously on Hikaru's field, illuminating this pitch-black street.
"What?" Watching this scene, Shay Obsidian felt his head spin.
Both sides were Pendulum Scale 8 cards?
Although he'd never used Pendulum himself, he had already seen quite a few Pendulum Summons. He knew clearly that the monsters a Pendulum Summon could Special Summon were the ones with numbers between the left and right Scales. But if both Scales were 8, what could you summon?
You couldn't even Special Summon a Level 8 monster!
Watching him look shocked, Hikaru smiled and pointed at Volflame beside him: "Volflame's Pendulum effect. Once per turn, target 1 face-up card on my field other than this card to activate. That card is destroyed. Then I set 1 'Metalfoes' Spell or Trap card from my Deck on my field.
I destroy Bismugear, and set the Continuous Trap Card, Metalfoes Combination, from my Deck."
Boom.
Bismugear instantly shattered, turning into pure alchemic material and flying up to the top of Hikaru's Extra Deck, glowing faintly. A Trap Card was also placed there.
"Bismugear's effect. When this card on the field is destroyed by battle or effect, activate. During this turn's End Phase, I add 1 Metalfoes monster from my Deck to my hand."
"...I see." Shay Obsidian narrowed his eyes, understanding a little more.
He already had some grasp of Pendulum tactics too. It was a method of Special Summoning monsters from the hand and Extra Deck in a single sweep by using the Pendulum Scales.
Which conversely meant that as long as there were enough monsters in the Extra Deck, sustained recycling and operations became possible.
Even though he was a Fusion Dimension duelist, he'd already thought of a way to exploit this kind of thing this quickly?
"I set Fullmetalfoes Alkahest, Scale 1, on the field. Its Pendulum effect is the same as the other Metalfoes monsters."
They're all the same!?
Shay Obsidian's pupils contracted violently.
"I activate its effect. Destroy Volflame, and from my Deck, set a second Metalfoes Combination."
Volflame shattered and became tungsten raw material, shining on top of Hikaru's Extra Deck.
"The effect of Magician's Souls in my hand." Hikaru held up a card, displaying it to Shay Obsidian.
This card was one the Dark Magician Girl had gifted Hikaru during his earlier visit to the Magician's domain. It happened to pair perfectly with Metalfoes, so Hikaru had incorporated it into this deck.
"This card can send 1 Level 6 or higher Spellcaster monster from the Deck to the Graveyard to Special Summon itself from the hand. I send Dark Magician from my Deck to the Graveyard, Special Summon."
A pair of blue ghostly magicians appeared on Hikaru's field.
"Dark Magician... a legendary monster?" Shay Obsidian felt a bit of pressure.
In their dimension too, Dark Magician existed. Not only that, in their dimension, Dark Magician was likewise a legendary monster. So on seeing this familiar card, he felt genuine pressure instead.
"I activate Magician's Souls' effect. I send up to 2 Spell or Trap cards from my hand or field to the Graveyard to activate. Draw a number of cards equal to the number sent to the Graveyard.
I send 2 Metalfoes Combinations to the Graveyard and draw 2 cards."
Hm?
What did this mean?
Shay Obsidian didn't quite understand.
He had gone to the trouble of searching and setting the cards, only to send them to the Graveyard again?
Was it just a means of restocking his hand?
"At this very instant, Metalfoes Combination's effect activates. This card can be activated when sent from the field to the Graveyard. I add 1 Metalfoes monster from my Deck to my hand. Because there were two cards sent to the Graveyard, I can add two Metalfoes monsters to my hand.
Metalfoes Goldriver, Scale 1. Metalfoes Steelen, Scale 8!"
Shay Obsidian's heart sank.
So it had been the same tactic all along!
By destroying his own cards, he'd search for cards, then destroy them a second time, search a second time, stacking up more and more monsters in the Extra Deck.
"That kind of Duel Disk, I once saw in an inter-dimensional exchange duel. Back then, my opponent was a friend named Kunikawa Haruto. So you must be a human from the Xyz Dimension?"
"Hmph..." Hearing that his opponent had pinpointed his origin, Shay Obsidian gave a cold snort. "What of it?"
"I'm guessing you're the kind of person who, after the Fusion army incident, wanted to seek revenge or interrogate a Fusion Dimension representative. For the Fusion army's invasion of your world, I am very sorry. It was our side's failure to stop it in time that led to the calamity."
"Cut the crap!" Hearing this, Shay Obsidian's anger surged. "There's no need for your fake concern!"
"What I'm saying is all true." Hikaru narrowed his eyes and said. "I am a Fusion duelist who pursues the ultimate. I am a Fusion user of the Fusion Dimension. I am a duelist who holds that Fusion is the noblest summoning method. So naturally, I have to draw a line between myself and those who defile the name of Fusion. In fact, I will grind them to dust.
So because of this, I too have personally fought the Fusion army, and even rescued people from your dimension. I even sent a letter to your world afterward. Did you never receive it?"
These words gave Shay Obsidian a moment of hesitation, but he quickly cast all of it aside. He absolutely did not believe that anyone from the Fusion Dimension could have good intentions.
Seeing this, Hikaru shook his head with a touch of helplessness.
"Never mind. Then let me show you my reasoning of Fusion."
"I set Metalfoes Goldriver, Scale 1, and destroy Alkahest to set Metalfoes Fusion from my Deck."
Fusion!
Here it comes!
Shay Obsidian braced himself.
"Next, Alkahest's effect. When this card is destroyed by battle or effect, activate. Add a Metalfoes Pendulum monster other than Fullmetalfoes Alkahest from my Extra Deck to my hand. This turn, I cannot activate the effect of the card added to my hand by this effect, or the effects of cards with the same name as that card, in the Pendulum Zone. I add Bismugear to my hand."
I see.
Shay Obsidian suddenly understood.
Bismugear's Level was 3, and since there was no Pendulum Scale 0, it was impossible to Pendulum-Summon it from the Extra Zone. But through this effect, he could recycle Bismugear, keeping it in play for use next turn.
As expected of the strongest Fusion user, he really wasn't comparable to those other duelists. He was a formidable opponent.
"Then I set Silverd in the Pendulum Scale as well, destroy Magician's Souls, and set Fullmetalfoes Fusion from my Deck."
Preparations were essentially in order. Hikaru checked his hand and Extra Deck, looked up at Shay Obsidian, and said: "Do you know, alchemy is essentially Fusion. Through shattering, recreating, refining, and sublimating, one performs a step-by-step transmutation. And this is the most basic principle of our Fusion Dimension's Fusion."
"I'm not interested in your dimension's affairs!!!" Shay Obsidian roared angrily at Hikaru, interrupting him. At this very moment, he could no longer summon any interest in these so-called summonings, these so-called souls.
Hikaru sighed, knowing nothing he said could persuade the man, and continued his operation: "Then, Pendulum Summon!"
"My Scales are 1 to 8, so I can Pendulum-Summon monsters from Level 2 to Level 7! And if there are face-up Pendulum monsters in my Extra Deck, I can Pendulum-Summon them directly from the Extra Deck!"
"Come. Prepare for the alchemy!"
"From the Extra Deck, I Special Summon Level 7 Metalfoes Volflame, and Level 7 Fullmetalfoes Alkahest! Then, Normal Summon, Raremetalfoes Bismugear!"
"Open Set card, Metalfoes Fusion! Using Alkahest and Bismugear on my field as Fusion Material, I perform a Fusion! Fusion Summon!"
"The legendary metal,
Metalfoes Orichalc!"
Hiss.
A vast cloud of steam rose behind Hikaru. Then, two brilliant crimson axes slowly took shape in the thick fog, and a burly warrior burst onto the stage!
The two materials that had circled around the alchemical product returned once more to the Extra Zone, placed there face-up.
Metalfoes Orichalc. Level 8, FIRE Attribute, Psychic-Type. ATK 2800.
"2800 ATK?" Shay Obsidian frowned.
That kind of attack power couldn't compare with Gem-Knights or Qliphorts. Wasn't this monster his ace?
"Metalfoes Fusion's effect in the Graveyard. When this card exists in the Graveyard, I can activate. I shuffle this card in the Graveyard back into the Deck. After that, I draw 1 card from my Deck."
Hikaru swiftly drew a card, glanced at it, and raised an eyebrow.
"I Set one card and end my turn."
"At this very instant, Bismugear's effect begins processing. From my Deck, I add the Level 3 Normal Pendulum monster, Metalfoes Silverd, to my hand."
Then, he crossed his arms and looked at his opponent: "All right, your turn."
"Hmph, and that's it?"
Shay Obsidian gave a cold snort, placed his right hand on top of his Deck, and drew violently.
Under his draw, the cards erupted with a violent storm, and his own aura climbed higher and higher along with it. Not far off, many birds were startled by his movements and quickly took flight from eaves and utility poles.
"My turn, draw!"
"Let me show you the will of steel and the spirit of iron of our kind!"
His movements startled countless birds, and likewise, they startled some other people too.
Namely, the teams stationed nearby.
That's right, it was Team Moonwind Bird.
Serena and the others noticed the birds in the distance. Lulu looked thoughtful, while Serena's eyes lit up beside her, pointing into the distance: "It's a duel. Should we go join the fun!"
Rin thought about it for a moment.
She'd originally planned to use this chance to take Lulu and Serena around the nearby streets. Honestly, she'd never lived in the upper city herself either, and now that she had a chance to wander around, it was pretty interesting.
But since there was a duel to watch, that seemed worth trying too.
"What do you think, Lulu?"
Lulu quietly nodded.
"All right!! Then it's settled!"
The group of girls left the base cheerfully.
You'd ask about Yugo... this time it really wasn't the case that they were dragging him around. Yugo had already left earlier to take his D-Wheel out and test its performance. But Rin figured he probably just wanted to enjoy the feeling of cruising the upper city's tracks.
Anyway, the group of them strolled toward the direction of the duel without hurrying.
In fact, in the world of duelists, this kind of thing happened often. Whether they were passing by or came specifically to watch a duel, whenever someone discovered a duel, others always wanted to get closer.
After all, dueling wasn't just competition, wasn't just collision, wasn't just a soul-to-soul contest. To ordinary people, it was also a thoroughly thrilling, one-of-a-kind performance.
Precisely because of this, whenever a duel was in progress, it would attract onlookers to some degree.
No matter how secluded the place, if the duel wasn't concluded swiftly, sooner or later it would be discovered.
Shay Obsidian had known this the whole time. Only, Hikaru's first turn had been unbearably drawn out and long, which meant the duel simply couldn't be kept at a reasonable pace.
Even more, Hikaru had deliberately slowed the pace of his operations. During the duel, he'd been trying to make small talk. Was he waiting for something?
Waiting for reinforcements?
Or something else?
These Fusion Dimension bastards were all schemes and plots!
He had to end this quickly!
"Normal Summon, Level 4, Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius. I activate its effect and Special Summon Level 4 Raidraptor - Tribute Lanius from my hand." (Note 1)
"Come, Level 4, Raidraptor - Tribute Lanius!"
Two mechanical birds of prey flew out from his hand.
"Tribute Lanius's effect. During my Main Phase of the turn this card is Normal or Special Summoned, activate. I send 1 Raidraptor card from my Deck to the Graveyard. I send Raidraptor - Mimicry Lanius from my Deck to the Graveyard.
Then, Raidraptor - Mimicry Lanius's effect. During my Main Phase, on the turn this card was sent to the Graveyard, I banish this card from the Graveyard to activate. I add 1 Raidraptor card other than Raidraptor - Mimicry Lanius from my Deck to my hand."
"I add Raidraptor - Nest to my hand, and activate it!"
"Continuous Spell Card, Raidraptor - Nest!"
"Then I chain."
"?!"
"Quick-Play Spell Card, Fullmetalfoes Fusion!"
Fusion?
Shay Obsidian had thought Hikaru was going to activate some strange Trap or Wind card, but instead, Hikaru had actually opened a Fusion!
"Fusion conditions: 1 Metalfoes monster and 1 Normal monster. I fuse Metalfoes Orichalc on my field with the Normal monster Metalfoes Volflame on my field!"
"Preparations for alchemy begin!"
"Come, universal alchemical material that can dissolve all things!"
"Level 1, Fullmetalfoes Alkahest!"
Crimson flames set the sky ablaze, making this place stand out even more. Alkahest held an alchemy staff, braced its spirit, and strode onto the field.
Because of the earlier accident, All-Dissolving Alchemist had been particularly hard at work during this time, creating brand-new Fusions and materials for Hikaru. That was also why, over these past few days, he'd been appearing outside so often, wanting Hikaru to use "Metalfoes."
Hikaru naturally wouldn't refuse.
Fullmetalfoes Alkahest. Level 1, FIRE Attribute, Psychic-Type. ATK 0, DEF 0. Defense Position.
"Level 1, and both ATK and DEF are 0!?"
Shay Obsidian grew wary.
That was very peculiar stat line!
There was surely some rather nasty effect involved.
"Metalfoes Orichalc's effect. When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard, target 1 card on the field to activate. That card is destroyed. I destroy your Nest."
"Hmph." Shay gave a cold snort, but then saw beside his Continuous Spell on his field, a large, twin-axe-wielding man suddenly appear. The two axes cleaved into the Spell Card, chopping it into fragments in an instant.
"Then, I overlay Level 4 Tribute Lanius and Level 4 Vanishing Lanius to construct the Xyz network!!"
The two mechanical birds flew up. A pitch-black vortex spun wildly in front of him. Before long, the two mechanical birds became golden orbs of energy circling around a mechanical owl.
"Rank 4, Raidraptor - Force Strix!"
Raidraptor - Force Strix. Rank 4, DARK Attribute, Winged Beast-Type. DEF 2000.
"Well then, I activate Fullmetalfoes Alkahest's effect." Hikaru offhandedly snapped his fingers. "All-Dissolving Alchemist is a peculiar alchemical material capable of dissolving all things, including your monsters. Once per opponent's turn, target 1 Effect Monster on the field to activate. That Effect Monster is treated as an Equip Card and equipped to this card!"
"By the way, this effect means that even if you chain a card's effect to remove Alkahest from the field, your monster will still go to the Graveyard along with it."
"..."
Veins bulged on Shay Obsidian's forehead. After a while, he calmed his mood: "You bastard."
...
Author's Note 1: In the original series, Vanishing Lanius could only Special Summon another Vanishing Lanius. Here it's been changed. Except for R4 Rise Falcon, everything else is handled according to OCG effects.
....
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