This was actually the normal state of things.
Most Blue Dorm students supported Ryu only because they belonged to the same dormitory. They had to uphold Blue Dorm's "prestige" within the academy.
But if the duel continued… hehe, that was another story.
After all, while they were indeed Blue Dorm students, they were also Fusion Club members.
To make the Fusion Club stronger and to earn more "credits" in dimensional explorations, what they truly wanted was a skilled fusion duelist!
Realizing this, Ryu quickly shook his head.
If he won, he still had a chance. If he lost, he was finished!
He realized he had used this deck countless times and had even obtained additional cards in his second year, and although his Fusion Monster was interrupted, he still had three cards in his hand!
"I activate the Field Spell—Geartown!"
"Geartown? The Ancient Gear-exclusive field that reduces tribute costs… Senpai, are you planning to summon Ancient Gear Beast?"
"You—"
Being seen through so easily, Ryu trembled slightly, gritting his teeth as he revealed a monster from his hand.
"I Normal Summon—Ancient Gear Beast!"
Awoooo—!
A massive steel-and-gear-constructed hound leaped forth from the card.
[Ancient Gear Beast] Level 6│EARTH│Machine│2000 ATK
"Bat—"
"Hold it!"
Hikaru cut him off mid-sentence.
"Before you enter your Battle Phase!"
He flipped over his set card.
"I activate the Trap Card—Salamandra With Chain!
This is a Trap that can return Fusion Materials from the hand, field, or graveyard to the Deck to Special Summon a FIRE Fusion Monster—though that effect only works in the graveyard.
Right now, since I activated it directly, I can equip it to a FIRE monster on the field! That monster gains 700 ATK—and I can flip one Effect Monster face-down!"
"What?!"
"Heh, no need for me to explain—you already understand, don't you?"
Hikaru's gaze was ice-cold.
"You bastard! Damn it!!" Ryu cursed furiously.
A chain shot out from the flames, wrapping around Ancient Gear Beast.
With a powerful pull from Flame Swordsman, the monster was instantly flipped face-down. At the same time, Flame Swordsman's ATK surged from 1800 to 2500!
For the first time, Ryu felt helpless.
Even when facing third-year students, he had never experienced this kind of fear.
Only once—when he accidentally witnessed the third-year top duelist, Zane Truesdale, in a duel—he ever felt this way.
'This brat… could he compare to Kaiser? No, no, impossible! Kaiser was the pride of the Blue Dorm!'
"…Tch, I end my turn."
Even though he didn't want to, with only one card left in his hand, there was nothing else he could do.
But that didn't matter.
The Labyrinth Tank had 2400 DEF. Ancient Gear Beast had 2000 DEF.
Neither monster would be easily destroyed!
Even if Flame Swordsman had 2500 ATK right now, it didn't matter!
As long as one of his monsters survived the next turn, and he drew Ancient Gear Golem, he could Tribute Summon it!
With a massive 3000 ATK—comparable to Blue-Eyes White Dragon—Ancient Gear Golem was far beyond most ordinary monsters!
"My turn—Draw!"
It was Hikaru's turn.
He glanced at the card he had just drawn and chuckled.
"Senpai, it seems even the cards are displeased with you."
"?"
"Hmm… Though it may not mean much, fulfilling the wishes of my monsters is the least I can do. So… I Normal Summon—Ancient Gear Beast!"
Awooooo!!
"Ah—!"
Seeing a massive mechanical hound, its body formed of ancient gears and steel, appear before him, Ryu visibly flinched, unconsciously taking a step back.
The effect of Geartown allowed both players to Tribute Summon Ancient Gear monsters with one less Tribute, so even Hikaru could summon Ancient Gear Beast without tributes!
"Wait, wasn't his deck supposed to be all Fusions?"
"No… Even in Fusion decks, you still need materials, right?"
"Exactly, and besides…"
Some of the Red and Yellow Dorm students eyed a certain face-down card on the field. They didn't say anything, but their expressions made their thoughts obvious.
This was a world where Duel Spirits existed.
For someone like Ryu, who was outright rejected by his own cards and even beaten down by them…
It was nothing unusual.
It was clear that the Ancient Gear monsters were utterly displeased with him!
"Next, I activate Over Future Fusion's effect!
I reveal the Labyrinth Tank and send Giga-Tech Wolf from my Deck to the Graveyard.
Then, I immediately activate Over Future Fusion's second effect!
By banishing monsters from my Graveyard as Fusion Materials, I can Fusion Summon one DARK Machine Fusion Monster!
Fusion Summon—Labyrinth Tank!"
Ruuummbble!
Charging into the battlefield once more—was Labyrinth Tank!
"D-Damn it…"
"Wow, I see now! So Over Future Fusion works like this. Doesn't that mean he can Fusion Summon a Dark Machine monster every two turns? That's insane!"
"He's using the same Tribute and Fusion Monsters… so why does it feel like this guy's deck is way stronger?"
"Cough, cough, don't say that out loud—some of the Blue guys are looking this way!"
Ryu's lackeys shot daggers at the ones talking, but even they had to admit it… their boss really wasn't on Hikaru's level.
"Time to battle." Hikaru shrugged.
"Flame Swordsman, attack Labyrinth Tank!
Labyrinth Tank, attack Ancient Gear Beast!
And finally, Ancient Gear Beast, attack directly—
Such a shame, if I had Limiter Removal in my deck, this would've been lethal."
Then, with a smile that seemed almost friendly, he added—
"Your turn, Senpai."
Ryu's hand trembled as he reached for his deck.
His hand was down to one card—Ancient Gear Engineer.
Completely useless in this situation.
Sure, he still had Geartown on the field, but Hikaru obviously wasn't an idiot. He wouldn't destroy Geartown and let Ryu trigger its second effect.
Was there anything left in his deck that could turn this around?
'There has to be something…'
He drew his next card with a trembling hand.
Then, as soon as he saw it, he felt his whole body go weak.
His knees gave out.
He collapsed onto the ground.
'...'
It was an Ancient Gear Golem.
It was over.
He could already see what would happen to his reputation and standing in the Academy from now on.
His cards slipped from his hands, scattering across the ground.
His Duel Disk automatically registered his defeat.
From a distance, Hikaru took one last look at him—and let out a small, amused chuckle.
"Senpai, weren't you looking for a giant monster? Well, here it is. If you don't respect or cherish your cards, they naturally won't respond to you."
Hikaru continued, "Someone like you… do you truly deserve to perform the noble art of Fusion? Your uniform may be purple, but in your heart, you have no unity, no camaraderie, and certainly no Fusion!"
Just then, he felt a warm energy surge within him. He didn't know where it was flowing, but one thing was certain—It was way more than what he got from the entrance test.
At least three or four times as much!
If Flame Swordsman took three to four days to manifest… at this rate, he'd be getting another Fusion Monster by tonight!
Meanwhile, Professor Crowler had made his way over, stopping before Hikaru, he took a deep breath.
"Amaki-kun, your Duel was… incredibly refined. Truly astonishing."
"Thank you, Professor."
"Take this card. Keep it well."
Professor Crowler handed him an Ancient Gear Golem.
"This is not just some temporary loan from the Fusion Club. This card… is a gift from me, Vellian Crowler, a true user of the Ancient Gear deck."
"Wha—!"
"Professor?!"
The Fusion Club members, especially the Blue Academy students, all gawked in envy.
The Ancient Gear cards they used were just loaners from the Academy. Once they graduated, they'd have to return them.
But a card personally gifted by Professor Crowler…
That was a lifetime keepsake!
And it was Ancient Gear Golem, a monster rivaling the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!
"Thank you, Professor." Hikaru didn't hesitate one bit.
"I should be the one thanking you."
"Huh?"
"Thank you for showing me through today's duel that framing others really isn't the way to go." Professor Crowler sighed and wiped his tears with a handkerchief.
'Wait... is this related to Jaden? I only approached you, because in my memory you're the highest-ranking professor here.'
Of course, he didn't say it out loud—this was a convenient misunderstanding.
"I'll take this student away. There will be an official report and disciplinary action later. You all can continue your club activities." Crowler, deep in thought, left with the student.
Professor Crowler was actually a good teacher. In the original story, he was someone willing to sacrifice himself to protect his students, so Hikaru was more than happy to build a good relationship with him.
As for the other students, they went back to their own business. Some who had been thinking of challenging Hikaru saw that even an upperclassman had lost and decided not to make fools of themselves. Meanwhile, a few students from the Red and Yellow dorms rushed over to cheer Hikaru on.
After wrapping up his social interactions, Hikaru found a quiet place to sit down and take a proper break.
Ever since earlier, he had been feeling a sense of unease, but couldn't quite figure out where this unease was coming from.
He flipped through his deck, searching for the Ancient Gear Golem he had just obtained.
In this era, this card was still pretty—
"Wait, what the—?!"
His eyes widened.
"No, don't!"
Inside his deck, Ancient Gear Beast and Ancient Gear Golem had already stuck together. But it wasn't the kind of sticking caused by moisture or glue—it was slowly merging, gradually turning purple, and—
Transforming into a Fusion Monster!
Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem!
The two cards... had fused on their own!
***
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