In the heart of the towering cityscape, Golden Captain stood tall, arms crossed, radiating unshakable charisma like the central figure of a divine mural.
He cast a sidelong glance at Avian and gave a cold snort. "Avian."
"Y-Yes!" Avian nearly jumped out of his feathers.
"I remember... the day we parted, we made a pact. Whoever met Jaden first would find a way to inform the rest of the group, right?" Golden Captain slowly unfolded his arms, his sharp gaze stabbing into Avian like daggers. "So why, in all this time, did you never contact me after you returned to the human world?"
"W-Well, you see..." Avian looked away, whistling innocently. "You know how it is... The connection between dimensions is all random and stuff. Duel Academy's portal got shut down, so I didn't really have a chance to find you, okay?"
Not exactly convincing.
Golden Captain's stern gaze didn't waver.
Hikaru Amagi raised a brow.
So that's why Avian looked so scared around him.
He always acted like he was invincible, judging everyone, talking big—but when it came to Golden Captain, the guy folded like a cheap card mat. Turns out he was hiding a guilty conscience.
What, wanted to hog Jaden for yourself?
"Oh, right! You're Captain Gold!" Jaden suddenly perked up. "I remember now! You're the Elemental HERO—Golden Captain! Wow, you look even cooler in real life than you do on a card!"
Golden Captain's dramatic pose almost cracked from embarrassment.
"Ahem." At that moment, the other being beside him—Golden Idol of the Forbidden Cult, an ominous figure covered in golden eyes—cleared his throat. "Captain, don't forget the mission given to us by Lord Aurum."
Mission?
Right... there was that.
Golden Captain turned to face Jaden and Hikaru.
Hikaru narrowed his eyes.
"Elemental HERO," huh? At first, he didn't suspect anything—but now hearing about "Lord Aurum" and a mission, it started clicking together.
Wait. Was Egghead behind this?
But no—why would he be giving orders to Elemental HEROES?
Then—
"Guess I should properly introduce us." Golden Captain huffed. "We are Golden Captain and Golden Idol of the Forbidden Cult. We are the Sixth of the Seven Stars—sent by our master to take your Spirit Keys!"
"What?! You're really from the Seven Stars!?"
Jaden immediately snapped to attention, glancing at Hikaru. "Watch out, Hikaru!"
Golden Captain clenched his fists—then loosened them.
"This will be a two-on-two Duel. I assume you already know the rules." Golden Idol added with a hiss, every one of its golden eyes scanning Hikaru from top to bottom. It looked as if it was calculating something, analyzing him.
"The losers will suffer the Curse of Aurification." Golden Captain raised a hand, revealing a card glinting with golden light. Its image? A mountain of shining gold coins.
"WHOA—Are you insane?!" Avian screamed, raising his claws in battle stance. "What the hell is this?! You wanna throw hands now!?"
Sure, he screwed up, but threatening to turn Jaden into gold!? Who the hell did this guy think he was!?
"Oooh... the Curse of Aurification? That sounds kinda great..." Wanmelt the Alchemist beside Hikaru suddenly brightened, stars in his eyes. "C-Can I be gold too? Just a little bit?"
Avian turned to Hikaru, deadpan. "Yo, Hikaru, is your Duel Spirit actually defective or what?"
Hikaru chuckled. Then looked toward Golden Captain and said calmly, "But... you two are already gold, right? Isn't this... kind of unfair?"
"Heh heh heh, that's easy." Golden Idol raised a finger. "If you win, we will each become your cards. We've already checked—we're compatible with your decks. Right?"
Just a bit. But not overwhelmingly.
Hikaru pondered.
Golden Idol could serve as legit Fusion Material for Thousand-Eyes Restrict, and being Level 1, he could be cheated out with Instant Fusion. Not bad at all.
"Also, Lord Aurum prepared generous rewards for your victory—" Golden Idol stepped aside and gestured dramatically.
Behind him, a mountain of treasure sat sparkling.
Gems. Red, blue, yellow—glittering stones in radiant piles.
"Wooooow..." Jaden gasped, eyes wide.
"Woaah," Hikaru blinked.
If those are real gems... maybe I can try refining some into Gem-Knight base materials?
Still, Hikaru didn't really care about wealth. As long as he could eat and Duel, he was happy. Though selling a few for rare cards? That'd be nice too. Duel Monsters were expensive in this world.
"Looks pretty fair..." Avian scratched the back of his head. "But if you really turn Jaden into gold, and our boss finds out... You're toast."
"Save your whining," Golden Captain growled. His left hand flared—golden bracers forming a radiant Duel Disk. Beside him, a golden Duel Disk slammed onto Golden Idol's arm.
"Jaden, you're going first." Golden Captain sneered. "Then it's my turn."
"Same as last time, huh?" Jaden looked to Hikaru. They locked eyes and nodded.
Back in the Realm of Warriors, it was the same—Jaden went first, Avian followed.
That must mean their strategy's similar this time, too.
Even if the cards or personalities changed... their thinking was likely the same.
"So, it's my turn! I draw!" Jaden pulled a card and grinned. "I Normal Summon—Elemental HERO Clayman!"
Elemental HERO Clayman – Level 4, EARTH, Warrior-Type, ATK 800.
"Clayman in Attack Mode?" Golden Captain flinched. He scowled at Avian.
The look was clear: You made him like this!?
Avian shrugged. "What're you lookin' at? Jaden's way stronger than you think."
"Ahaha…" Jaden scratched his cheek, embarrassed, then focused. "I activate the Spell Card—Metamorphosis!"
Metamorphosis!?
Golden Captain's brows shot up.
"By tributing 1 monster on the field, I can Special Summon a Fusion Monster from the Extra Deck with the same Level!"
"Clayman, become your ultimate form!"
"Special Summon—Elemental HERO Clay Guardian! In Defense Position!"
Elemental HERO Clay Guardian – Level 4, EARTH, Warrior-Type, DEF 2800.
"Woah." Even Golden Captain was caught a little off guard seeing that form.
"I set one card face-down and end my turn."
Golden Captain scoffed.
"Barely acceptable."
"My turn. I draw! I activate my own effect—by discarding myself, Evil HERO Darkstar Gildragon, I add 1 Dark Fusion or a card that lists it in its name from my Deck to my hand."
"I add Dark Fusion to hand."
Just as expected!
Hikaru and Jaden locked eyes again—nodding in perfect sync.
Now they understood everything.
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For this week I will do more release depending on the power stones !
100 Power Stones = 1 chapter (in addition to the daily update)
So give stones if you want mooooar !