I know it's been quiet here for a long time. I just wanted to see if anyone is still following this story.đź‘€
...
The Duel officially began, with the Fusion Army police and Yugo standing clearly behind their respective Duelists, cheering for their own sides.
Yugo's group, carefree by nature and still fuming from being bullied earlier, cheered enthusiastically for Hikaru.
On the Fusion Army's side, although they initially tried their best to support Lilos, their cheers were only briefly louder than Yugo's. As the stubborn Yugo continued shouting nonstop, these soldiers, who already lacked confidence, gradually fell silent.
Lilos took in the scene, keenly aware of his army's poor morale and wavering spirits.
"Hikaru, no matter what… this time, I will defeat you with Fusion."
"Then I hope you won't talk nonsense again," Hikaru replied calmly.
Lilos snorted and began his turn.
"Draw!! I activate the Spell Card, Ground Xeno!"
"This card… isn't that a Dinosaur-Type Spell?" Tierra, standing nearby, looked amused when she saw it.
It was rare for someone to use a card associated with Hikaru.
And more importantly..
"This card allows me to add one Dinosaur-Type Tuner or Dinosaur-Type Normal Monster from my Deck to my hand," Lilos explained as he searched through his Deck.
"A Tuner?" Yugo muttered from the sidelines. "Didn't he say he was using Fusion?"
Hearing this, the already low morale of the soldiers dropped even further.
"Hmph, just like that guy said earlier, Fusion is inclusive. Fusion is vast," Lilos sneered. "Who says searching a Dinosaur-Type Tuner means I have to Synchro Summon?
I choose Megazowler, a Normal Monster, and add it to my hand!"
"Then, according to Ground Xeno's effect, I must destroy one card from my hand!"
"He searched a monster, but now he has to destroy a card," Yugo whispered, confused. "Isn't that kind of a loss?"
"Idiot," Rin snapped, tapping Yugo on the head again. "The Duel's barely started. Don't jump to conclusions."
"I destroy Petiteranodon from my hand."
A small, baby-like dinosaur appeared briefly on the field, sitting innocently on the ground. Before it could even cry out, a meteor crashed down from the sky, crushing it instantly.
"Petiteranodon's effect activates!" Lilos declared.
"When this card is destroyed by an effect and sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon one Level 4 or higher Dinosaur-Type monster from my Deck! That monster cannot attack this turn!"
"I Special Summon, Stegocyber!"
RUMBLE!
A heavily armored Stegosaurus roared as it emerged, its metallic plates gleaming like steel.
Stegocyber-Level 6 | DARK | Dinosaur ATK: 1200
"He Special Summoned a Level 6 monster right away!"
"Back and forth, no loss at all!"
Several Fusion Army soldiers shouted toward Yugo's side.
"Did you see that, kid?! This is the power of General Lilos!"
"Watch closely and learn!"
Yugo clenched his fists, his body trembling as he growled,
"Those bastards!"
"It's not over yet!" Lilos suddenly shouted.
Pointing at Hikaru, he continued,
"Your Duel has severely damaged my army's morale. As their commander, I can't allow you to act so recklessly.
Let me show you the true meaning of Fusion!
I activate Ground Xeno's effect in the Graveyard! I banish it, then send Fusion Materials specified by a Dinosaur-Type Fusion Monster from my hand or field to the Graveyard, and Fusion Summon!"
"Whoa!"
"Ohhh!"
The Fusion Army soldiers erupted in excitement.
Not only could Ground Xeno search Fusion Materials, it could also perform a Fusion afterward. To them, this was the purest embodiment of Fusion.
"Even through sacrifice, we advance! Unifying all Dimensions, this is Fusion!"
"I use Stegocyber on the field and Megazowler from my hand!
The Fusion Condition is a Dinosaur-Type monster and a Normal Monster!"
"The ultimate dinosaur of extreme evolution, now transcend everything and appear!"
Lilos raised both hands, clasped them together, then slammed them downward.
"Fusion Summon!"
"Level 12!"
"Transcendosaurus Gigantozowler!!"
A massive Gigantozowler emerged on the field. Its body swelled violently, and the twin horns on its head grew wildly, stretching skyward like the branches of a divine tree.
What was once merely large now became colossal, so immense it towered over the streets of the Upper District, standing between heaven and earth.
Transcendosaurus Gigantozowler Level 12 | EARTH | Dinosaur
ATK: 3800
"Gigantozowler…" Hikaru frowned.
"Ohhh! A Level 12 Fusion Monster!"
"And its ATK is 3800!"
"That's even higher than Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
Yugo swallowed hard. "It's… even stronger than Jack's Red Dragon Archfiend."
"When Transcendosaurus Gigantozowler is Special Summoned," Lilos continued coldly, "target one Dinosaur-Type monster in your Graveyard. That monster is added to your hand!"
Lilos opened his Graveyard and picked up a card. "I add Petiteranodon from my Graveyard to my hand!"
The Petiteranodon that had just been destroyed seemed to return tearfully to his hand.
"I set one card and end my turn."
Lilos ended his turn swiftly.
"A Level 12 Fusion Monster… In terms of Level alone, it truly is the highest-level Fusion Monster," Hikaru said, looking up at the sky-obscuring dinosaur and nodding slightly.
To be honest, the Fusion Army had produced quite a few powerful Fusion-related cards.
Ancient Gear Chaos Giant, various Ancient Gear Fusion monsters, and even that "Slave Fusion" card Hikaru still wanted badly, objectively speaking, the Fusion Army wasn't lacking in Fusion research.
"Speaking of which," Hikaru continued casually, "the Fusion Army general I met last time said something similar. Your goal is to eliminate barriers, let everyone live in the same Dimension, and unify all Dimensions… right?"
"That's only natural," Lilos replied.
"And do they believe it?" Hikaru casually pointed toward the soldiers behind him.
"Belief is extremely important," Lilos said calmly, nodding. "As a Duelist, to reach greater heights and become stronger, one must possess unwavering belief.
For us, unifying all Dimensions is our shared belief. And the reason their belief wavers now is precisely because of your existence.
Your Fusion is a shock to their faith! As long as we defeat you and reintegrate the Fusion Army from top to bottom, we will once again be invincible!"
He clenched his fists as he spoke.
This was something Lilos had realized after watching that Earthbound Immortal Duel.
Trying to oppose Hikaru with a mere "Fusion counter" mindset proved nothing.
Even if he won, then what?
It would only mean defeating a powerful enemy, while lurking behind him was Crowler, the nightmare in the darkness.
The real reason the Fusion Army feared Hikaru was simple: when it came to belief, philosophy, and the very meaning of the word "Fusion," they had never truly dared to decide victory or defeat against him.
Xyz tactics. Fusion lockdowns.
Ultimately, the reason they relied on these methods against Hikaru was because they didn't believe they could defeat him with Fusion itself.
Deep down, they already believed Hikaru was the "answer" to Fusion. And if that was the case, how could they ever truly fight him?
"Compared to all that," Hikaru snorted, "isn't the real issue how easily your beliefs shatter?
If you truly practiced what you believed, how could I have broken it so easily?"
"Draw!"
Hikaru glanced at the card he drew.
"I activate the Field Spell, Magical Meltdown!"
A massive, fiery-red magic circle spread across the field. Behind Hikaru, the silhouette of a Magician slowly emerged.
"When this card is activated, add one Aleister the Invoker from your Deck to your hand."
'Magical Meltdown!?'
Lilos's heart skipped a beat.
Even though it was just a single card, an intense sense of danger surged through him.
This is bad.
Countless possibilities raced through his mind.
Never underestimate the activation of a Field Spell, especially this one. The chain of consequences hidden behind it was terrifying.
First of all, Aleister the Invoker was a Spellcaster capable of performing Fusion with almost zero cost. The moment he appeared, he could immediately search Invocation, his signature Spell.
But that wasn't even the most dangerous part.
Invocation could Fusion Summon an Invoked monster by banishing Fusion Materials from either player's Graveyard.
Lilos's gaze shifted to Transcendosaurus Gigantozowler.
Gigantozowler possessed an effect: if it was destroyed, he could return one Normal Monster from his Graveyard to the Deck, then Special Summon Gigantozowler from the Graveyard.
But if Aleister used Invocation to banish Megazowler from his Graveyard…
Gigantozowler would instantly lose that effect.
No revival. No comeback.
Then, an EARTH Invoked monster, combined with Aleister's own effect, could easily reach 4000 ATK and destroy Gigantozowler in battle.
From that point on, the Duel would become completely passive for him.
The only way to preserve his strategy would be if Hikaru didn't know Gigantozowler's effect and instead banished Stegocyber, the Effect Monster.
But that possibility was slim to none.
Not only was Hikaru deeply knowledgeable about Fusion, but his senior, Rex, specialized in Dinosaur-Type monsters. There was no way they hadn't discussed the effects of these cards.
"Normal Summon Aleister the Invoker."
Hikaru didn't waste a single word. While Lilos was still calculating, he directly Normal Summoned Aleister.
A green-haired Magician appeared in front of him.
Aleister the Invoker: Level 4 | DARK | Spellcaster/ ATK: 1000
"Aleister's effect activates! When this card is Normal Summoned or Flip Summoned, add one Invocation from your Deck to your hand."
"Wait!"
Lilos suddenly shouted. "I activate the Trap Card, Torrential Tribute!"
"What?!"
Yugo and Rin were both stunned.
This was an extremely classic card, so famous that even ordinary residents of the Lower City recognized it.
And precisely because they knew it, the shock was even greater.
Because Torrential Tribute's effect was simple and brutal: When a monster is Normal Summoned, Flip Summoned, or Special Summoned: destroy all monsters on the field.
Wouldn't that destroy his own monster as well?!
Before either of them could even ask, towering waves surged across the entire field. The colossal flood swallowed everything, even the gigantic dinosaur. Screams of terror echoed from the Lower City spectators below.
BOOOOM!
Both monsters disintegrated into dust and vanished.
"At this moment," Lilos declared coldly, "the effect of Transcendosaurus Gigantozowler activates!"
He waved his hand as a massive dinosaur forced its way out of the Graveyard, its twin horns ripping through the earth.
"When Transcendosaurus Gigantozowler is destroyed:
Target one Normal Monster in your Graveyard, return it to the Deck, then Special Summon this card!
I return Megazowler to the Deck!
Revive-Transcendosaurus Gigantozowler!"
The gigantic dinosaur rose once more, standing firmly upon the battlefield.
"And it's not over yet! When Transcendosaurus Gigantozowler is Special Summoned, target one Dinosaur-Type monster in your Graveyard. Add it to your hand!
I add Stegocyber to my hand!"
The armored Stegosaurus card slid neatly into his grasp.
"And there's more!" Lilos continued sharply.
"When this card is Special Summoned from the Graveyard, I can target one card from my hand or field and one card on my opponent's field, and destroy them both!
I destroy Petiteranodon, and your Magical Meltdown!"
Gigantozowler slammed its massive horns into the ground. The blazing summoning array shattered instantly, exploding into fragments of light.
"And now, Petiteranodon's effect!
When this card is destroyed, Special Summon one Level 4 or higher Dinosaur-Type monster from my Deck!
I Special Summon, Ultimate Ancient Tyranno!"
A massive white dinosaur descended from above, wings spread wide as it unleashed blazing energy from its jaws.
Ultimate Ancient Tyranno Level 8 | EARTH | Dinosaur ATK: 2700
"Ohhh!!"
"Not only did he wipe out Hikaru's monster and Field Spell, he recovered his Fusion materials too!"
"And he even Special Summoned a Level 8 monster!"
"As expected of General Lilos, this is masterful!"
"Fusion is cyclical! Commander Lilos is invincible!"
The Fusion Army soldiers erupted in cheers, but the moment Lilos heard that last sentence, his expression darkened.
He turned sharply and glared at the soldier who had spoken.
The man froze, quickly lowering his head, trembling in fear.
"Hmph."
Lilos turned back toward Hikaru.
"How about it?" he said coldly.
"Even if we sacrifice countless times, we will continue advancing. This is the Fusion Army.
Even if you know Gigantozowler's effects, you still can't disrupt my strategy!"
Hikaru merely looked at him, expression unreadable, almost mildly exasperated.
"Then let's make this even better," he said calmly.
"Activate, Invocation."
His gaze shifted to Lilos's Graveyard.
Compared to preventing Transcendosaurus Gigantozowler from reviving…
What Hikaru truly wanted, was to banish Petiteranodon.