This was a grand coliseum, ringed by flickering torches. Countless Duel Spirits surrounded the ceremonial platform, spectating this interdimensional duel.
So far, they were disappointed.
The human's turn had been too ordinary—plain and unimpressive. None of these warrior spirits could understand why Lord Black Luster Soldier had asked them to watch.
"My turn. Draw."
Hikaru drew and examined his hand carefully.
Nice—he'd drawn just what he needed!
"I activate the Normal Spell Card: Instant Fusion."
"Instant Fusion?"
Even the well-traveled Black Luster Soldier recognized it immediately.
"Ooh! We're finally seeing Hikaru's Full Fusion Deck in action again!" Jaden cheered out of nowhere.
"Full Fusion Deck?"
The opposing warriors exchanged puzzled glances.
It sounded strong… but what did it mean?
"I pay 1000 Life Points—nngh…"
Hikaru winced. His body twitched with pain.
This was a real duel.
Of course it was going to sting.
LP: 5900 → 4900
"This card allows me to special summon a Level 5 or lower Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck as if it were Fusion Summoned."
"Whoa! Just like Simple Fusion, huh?"
Not quite.
This was the definitive upgrade.
"I special summon—Thousand-Eyes Restrict!"
A horrifying, eye-covered abomination slithered out of a cup-shaped dimensional gate.
"Uhh…" Jaden's excitement hit a snag.
It was a little gross.
Thousand-Eyes Restrict – Level 1, DARK, Spellcaster, ATK 0, Fusion Monster.
"Th-Thousand-Eyes Restrict?!" Gaia recoiled in surprise.
As a Duel Spirit, of course he recognized that infamous fusion beast!
Hikaru loved this card.
Sure, it looked creepy—but that didn't matter.
A true duelist didn't care about beauty or themes.
Only power mattered.
That's why, when Super Fusion gave him this beast a few days ago, he'd been thrilled.
It fit his deck perfectly!
"I activate Thousand-Eyes Restrict's effect—once per turn, I target one monster your side of the field and equip it to this card!"
Dozens of eyes lit up, unleashing eerie purple light.
The flames around Infernal Wing were snuffed out as she was absorbed into the monster's body.
"Ugh…"
Avian visibly shuddered.
As a fusion material for Infernal Wing, seeing her get devoured was deeply unsettling.
"Thousand-Eyes gains the stats of its equipped monster."
Avian forced himself to speak, steadying his voice.
"But monsters summoned with Instant Fusion are destroyed at the end of the turn!"
He flapped his wings, trying to shake off the lingering aura.
"No matter how strong the monster—if it disappears, it's meaningless!"
"Of course I know that," Hikaru smirked, revealing another card.
"I activate the Continuous Spell: Flame Swordsman's Domain!"
A giant ring of fire lit up the prison arena.
"Once per turn, I can send one face-up monster from my field or hand to the Graveyard to Fusion Summon Flame Swordsman from the Extra Deck!"
"I send Thousand-Eyes Restrict to the Graveyard—Fusion Summon!
Come forth—Flame Swordsman!"
Flame Swordsman – Level 5, FIRE, Warrior-Type, ATK 1800
"Whoa! It's me!"
Down in the stands, a Flame Swordsman spirit beamed, thrilled to see himself on the field.
Just like being on TV.
"Dude's cooking! Used Thousand-Eyes as Fusion material—mad value!"
"If he wins this one, I'm definitely backing him up in the next trial!"
Hikaru didn't know it yet, but just from that one combo, he'd earned the respect of at least one warrior spirit.
"I activate the Equip Spell: Flame Fusion Dragon.
It can only be equipped to FIRE Warrior monsters. The equipped monster gains 700 ATK!"
Flame Swordsman: ATK 1800 → 2500
"Fusion again?"
Now everyone finally understood what Hikaru's "Full Fusion Deck" really meant.
"A deck made entirely of Fusion Cards… Is that even usable?"
"Well… the guy is using it."
"Still… if this weren't a tag duel and he didn't have second turn, he wouldn't have been able to pull that Thousand-Eyes play, right?"
Even in the world of spirits, this kind of extreme build sparked debate.
"Hey! Shut your mouths!"
Jaden shouted from the side.
"Hikaru is pursuing the pinnacle of Fusion—he's a duelist who honors Fusion above all! Don't disrespect him!"
"The pinnacle… of Fusion?"
"A warrior with a clear path. I respect that."
Hikaru stroked his chin.
Sure, this kind of talk might work on the Fusion fanatics back at the club—but with actual Duel Spirits?
…Screw it.
Gotta sell the brand.
"That's right. Fusion is the noblest method of summoning!"
"Flame Swordsman, direct attack!"
LP: 8000 → 5500
"Yes! That was a clean comeback, Hikaru!"
"Don't get cocky. It's still early."
Hikaru sighed, then set two cards.
"Set two. End turn."
"A solid turn," Gaia nodded.
"You cleared the field, summoned a strong monster, and left backrow.
But that's nowhere near enough!"
"My turn. Draw."
"I activate the Ritual Spell: Chaos Form!
I tribute Key Pixie and Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight from my hand—Ritual Summon!"
"Black Luster Soldier!"
The sky cracked as a radiant warrior descended.
Even the world itself seemed to celebrate his arrival.
Jaden and Hikaru both looked toward the referee's stand, where Black Luster Soldier sat motionless.
Black Luster Soldier – Level 8, EARTH, Warrior-Type, ATK 3000, Ritual Monster
"In my village, the goal of every knight is to become a Chaos Warrior!" Gaia declared.
"Ritual Summoning is the most honorable method of summoning! You outsiders wouldn't understand!"
Well… that was fair.
Anyone committed to playing Rituals deserved some respect.
Though in Hikaru's time, many Ritual Monsters didn't even need their Ritual Spells anymore.
"Hikaru, you've got backrow—?" Jaden gulped, watching the chaos unfold.
Hikaru shook his head.
A veteran duelist wouldn't play their hand too early.
Every opponent needed their own response.
Especially when the enemy… was a Black Luster Soldier.
Just as Hikaru expected, Gaia revealed another card:
"I banish a DARK monster and a LIGHT monster from my Graveyard—
Come forth! Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning!"
A blazing figure descended from the sky, radiant and overwhelming.
The world was bathed in golden light.
BLS – Envoy of the Beginning – Level 8, LIGHT, Warrior-Type, ATK 3000
"Whoa, two monsters at Blue-Eyes White Dragon level?! This is awesome!" Jaden cheered.
"I can feel my blood pumping!"
Hikaru's face tightened.
Two BLS variants meant this Gaia was no weakling.
He might even become a true Chaos Warrior himself soon!
"Now! I activate my Trap Card: Flame Fusion Chain!
Equip to Flame Swordsman—he gains 700 more ATK, and I can flip one monster face-down!"
ATK: 2500 → 3200
"What?!" Gaia was visibly shaken.
"I target: Envoy of the Beginning."
No way Hikaru was leaving that on the field.
That thing could wipe the board and hit for game.
"Dude… you flipped the Envoy?!"
"Bro, I haven't felt this cathartic in ages. It's like a dream!"
In the stands, Flame Swordsman and his comrades were already cheering.
"Amazing! Hikaru not only shut down the Envoy, he summoned a 3200-ATK monster!
That pressure…"
"Naive!" Gaia sneered.
"I activate Equip Spell: United We Stand!
Equip to Black Luster Soldier—he gains 800 ATK for every face-up monster I control!"
ATK: 3000 → 3800
"Oh no! Now it's stronger than Flame Swordsman!"
"Black Luster Soldier attacks Flame Swordsman!"
BLS vanished from his side of the field, reappearing instantly before Flame Swordsman, slashing down in a blinding arc.
"Thanks to Flame Fusion Dragon, the Equip Spell can take the hit in his place!"
"But the damage still goes through!"
LP: 4900 → 4300
Flame Swordsman ATK: 3200 → 2500
"Phew…" Hikaru exhaled.
Jaden had set off so many death flags today, he could barely keep up.
"See that? The Ritual Monster defeated your Fusion!" Gaia taunted, setting a card.
"Set one. End turn!"
"Incredible! He's facing Black Luster Soldier and still holding his own!"
"And he even kept his monster alive!"
"So this is the pinnacle of Fusion…"
"Honestly? I'm tempted to follow this warrior myself."