Higher Alchemy

"Hikaru, be careful. His dueling goes beyond anything we've imagined!" Zane warned as Hikaru began his Duel against Professor Banner without hesitation.

Hikaru gave a small nod.

On the other side, Jaden slowly regained consciousness, holding his arm as he leaned weakly against a planet. "Hikaru..cough, cough..sorry."

"Jaden, get some rest. Don't overexert yourself!" Hikaru kept his eyes on Banner, his heart filled with confusion.

'This makes no sense. How could Jaden have lost? Did I jinx him with too many flags?'

"What's the matter? Aren't you going to start your turn?" Banner looked utterly calm.

Hikaru furrowed his brow, glanced at his hand, and drew a card from his Deck.

"My turn, draw!" He immediately revealed a card. "I activate the Continuous Spell: Future Fusion! I reveal Labyrinth Tank and send Cannon Soldier from my Deck to the Graveyard. Then I activate another Continuous Spell: Flame Swordsrealm!

I discard Ancient Gear Knight from my hand to activate Flame Swordsrealm's effect, Special Summon Flame Swordsman!"

[Flame Swordsman] Level 5│FIRE│Warrior│1800 ATK

"Next, I set one card and end my turn!"

Banner watched Hikaru's plays, then chuckled lightly, pinching a fragment from his own cheek and crushing it. He spoke: "Hikaru, you don't seem surprised at all by my appearance, do you?"

"Hmm." Hikaru couldn't exactly say he was a transmigrator, so he simply nodded. "I had my suspicions for a while. Your alchemy has always been too real, but your usual demeanor was too meek."

"So that's how you figured it out?" Banner nodded with a grin. "As expected of the academy's top alchemical prodigy."

"Why, Professor Banner!" Chumley slammed against the barrier of a star, shouting. "Why did you become a Shadow Rider? Why did you hurt Jaden!?"

"Heh, heh." Banner chuckled softly, his eyes glowing crimson. "I didn't become one, I founded the Shadow Riders from the very beginning."

"Ah!" Atticus suddenly recalled, "It was you! You're the one who made me lose my memory."

"Exactly." Banner sneered as he drew a card. "Now, my turn, draw."

He glanced at his hand, his smile widening. He looked at Hikaru and revealed one of his cards. "Hikaru, let me show you a secret beyond conventional alchemy!

Normal Summon- Aleister the Invoker!"

'Oh crap!' Hikaru's eyes went wide. 'No wonder Jaden lost!'

'He's calling this alchemy too!?'

With a swirl of wind, a robed mage wielding a staff and a magic tome appeared on the field.

[Aleister the Invoker] Level 4│DARK│Spellcaster│1000 ATK

After his summons, Banner coughed lightly. Aleister turned to glance at him, and the two nodded in mutual acknowledgment.

"Only 1000 ATK?" Bastion relaxed slightly but then furrowed his brow. "That card's not known on the market."

"Watch out, Hikaru! That monster's insanely strong!" The sealed students began shouting.

Cold sweat formed on Hikaru's brow.

Like, he didn't already know how dangerous that card was?

"Aleister's monster effect, when this card is Normal or Flip Summoned: I can add Invocation from my Deck to my hand!"

"It's coming, human." Tierra manifested beside Hikaru with a mischievous look.

"I activate the Spell Card: Invocation!" Banner revealed the card in his hand. "It's a Fusion Spell that lets me Fusion Summon using monsters from my hand.

But when summoning an Invoked Fusion Monster, I can banish monsters from my field and either the Graveyard as Fusion Materials!

I banish Aleister from my field and Ancient Gear Knight from your Graveyard!

Fusion Summon!

Behold, the EARTH Invoked monster: Invoked Magellanica!"

A giant clad in summoning glyphs emerged from the earth, locking eyes with Hikaru.

[Invoked Magellanica] Level 8│EARTH│Rock│3000 ATK

"W-What!?" Bastion gaped in shock.

"Wait, I activate my set card!" Hikaru didn't hesitate as he flipped his Trap. "Trap Card, Flame Swordsdance!"

"Flame Swordsdance, hmm?" Banner chuckled. "It's been a while since you used those cards."

"You should know what it does, Professor."

"Ah, yes, Special Summon Dark Flare Knight and Set my monster, right? Go ahead."

Even sealed, the surrounding students and teachers could hear the unshakeable confidence in Banner's tone, an aura of invincibility.

Hikaru gritted his teeth. "I Special Summon Dark Flare Knight to Set your Invoked Magellanica!"

[Dark Flare Knight] Level 6│DARK│Warrior│2200 ATK

Banner casually allowed his monster to be hidden.

"Not bad defensively. But my turn isn't over. I activate the effect of Invocation in the Graveyard: return it to the Deck to add a banished Aleister the Invoker to my hand."

"W-What!?" Bastion nearly shouted.

"He can summon an Invoked monster every turn like this!?"

"Aleister is a monster powerful enough to redefine Fusion Summoning." Banner glanced at the Aleister spirit beside him. The spirit looked at Hikaru and spoke:

"Banner, as agreed, this will be the last time I help you."

"That's fine." Banner nodded casually. "After all, I'll be dead soon anyway."

Then, in a louder voice, he declared: "I end my turn."

"He actually ended his turn?" Syrus, clutching his knees, trembled. "So confident... so scary..."

"That monster explains it!" Alexis exclaimed in fear.

"3300 DEF, and summoned using light-devouring materials." Zane's expression turned grim. "Even Superalloy Beast Raptinus or Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem would struggle against that!"

Hikaru took a deep breath.

In the original, Banner was already a formidable foe, but here, he skipped alchemy entirely and went full Invoker!

He had to find a way to limit Aleister.

Or perhaps, an idea suddenly lit up in Hikaru's mind.

He thought of a strategy that just might work!