A Duelist Still in His Right Mind

"My turn!"

Morishima glared at Hikaru, forcing down the fear in his chest.

Though Leo Akaba had issued an internal bounty for Amagi Hikaru—ordering anyone who encountered him in another dimension to "capture him immediately"—Morishima had never witnessed Hikaru duel firsthand. He only knew of his existence and had a general understanding of his deck.

A pure Fusion-themed deck.

Now, facing him directly and seeing those eerie violet puppet strings forming around Hikaru, he had to admit, this guy had every right to challenge the Fusion Army.

Still, as an Obelisk Blue graduate, as a "senpai," Morishima wasn't going to be taken lightly.

He was once a top contender for "valedictorian!"

"Draw!"

He snatched a card from his deck and grinned at it.

"I activate the Continuous Spell Card: Spell Absorption!"

He slammed it onto the field.

"A Continuous Spell?" Around Hikaru, the puppet threads began to writhe, eventually spiraling together into a massive magic staff. Tierra floated beside him. "Same start as last time."

Hikaru nodded.

"As long as this card is on the field, whenever either of us activates a Spell Card, I recover 500 Life Points."

He revealed another card. "Then I activate the Continuous Spell: Archfiend's Oath!"

Rumble!

A massive obsidian monolith appeared beside him, cracking parts of the ceiling.

"What's that card?" Tierra tilted her head, intrigued. "Never seen students at your Academy use that."

Hikaru nodded. "It's a gamble-type card. Maybe Chumley had it?"

Hayato was a student who once had a draw-based duel with Jaden. Hikaru hadn't fought him in this world, so he wasn't sure.

Morishima sneered. "Spell Absorption activates, and I gain 500 LP."

[Morishima LP: 4000 → 4500]

"Next, I activate Archfiend's Oath's effect: Pay 500 Life Points and declare a card name. I reveal the top card of my deck. If it matches, I add it to my hand. If not, it goes to the Graveyard."

[Morishima LP: 4500 → 4000]

"Isn't that just guessing?" Tierra frowned. "Why not just use Pot of Greed?"

"Hmph! You ignorant Duel Spirit, shut your mouth!"

Tierra clenched her fists, this man truly had a death wish.

If it weren't a duel, she might've already turned him into a homunculus.

Morishima placed his hand on the top card of his deck, closed his eyes, and golden electricity began to crackle around him. Then he snapped open his eyes.

"I see it! The next card is... Frontline Base!"

He revealed it, it was Frontline Base!

"No way!" Tierra exclaimed. "Did he use some kind of prophecy?!"

"No..." Hikaru frowned. "Looks like his 'valedictorian status' isn't a lie."

Duel Academy taught card-drawing techniques. There were even courses on how to draw the card you needed most.

It sounded absurd, but in a world where cards responded to the user's heart, it was very real.

If Morishima could do this, then he wasn't bluffing, and he might really have been in the top three of his year!

He wasn't in the same league as the cannon fodder Fusion grunts.

High Spirit Compatibility, powerful draw control, and the card Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder... this guy's confidence wasn't baseless.

"I activate my second Archfiend's Oath!"

"And now... I declare Y-Dragon Head!"

He pulled a card and revealed it.

With a sharp zap and a burst of static, the revealed card showed a Y-Dragon Head—but not a normal one. It looked like a damaged, malfunctioning robot, leaking electricity and writhing in agony.

"I'm not done! I activate the Continuous Spell: Frontline Base! I recover 500 LP and Normal Summon X-Head Cannon!"

[Morishima LP: 4000 → 4500]

"Then, Frontline Base's effect: Once per turn, I can Special Summon 1 Union Monster from my hand. I Special Summon Y-Dragon Head!"

Two sparking, barely functioning robots now stood on his field. Both X-Head Cannon and Y-Dragon Head looked unstable and worn.

Tierra scowled.

They had entered a Machine-Spirit dimension, and she was initially thrilled. When she realized Hikaru intended to strike first and seize the Sacred Beasts, she was even more excited.

Now?

These foolish, arrogant humans were enslaving Union Machines with the power of the Sacred Beasts, forcing them into service and experimentation.

She glanced at the scattered remains of dissected spirits, then at the doctor and the device he kept guarding.

'Oh? That mortal was subconsciously shielding that device?'

She made a mental note.

"With X and Y on the field, I can summon my deck's Fusion Monster! Witness the unique Fusion of the Union Machines, Amagi Hikaru!

I fuse X-Head Cannon and Y-Dragon Head!"

The two monsters broke apart, their parts linking and reconnecting. X's lower body fused with Y's upper torso, creating a new being:

[XY-Dragon Cannon] Level 6│LIGHT│Machine│2200 ATK

"I set one card and end my turn!"

"Nice!" the doctor cheered.

He didn't really understand dueling, but he'd seen enough matches to know this was a solid start: life gain, a 2200 ATK monster, one set card, and four Continuous Spells.

"Still... why not summon Hamon directly?"

He had seen that monster once before. Its barrier alone could isolate Duel Spirits outside the lab, and in battle, it instantly crushed opposition. Even a non-duelist like him could tell it was a win condition.

However, Morishima didn't explain.

He just coldly stared at Hikaru, clearly plotting something.

"This setup... not bad." Tierra nodded. "Now that feels like a proper graduate."

Having watched plenty of duels and studied the game seriously herself, Tierra recognized his strategy.

"He's saving those Continuous Spells to keep gaining LP. Then next turn, he'll refill his hand and summon a Sacred Beast."

"He hasn't lost his mind. He's not yet corrupted by their power."

Hikaru nodded.

"In that case..." He drew a card, a gleam of purple flickering in his eyes.

"Hmph- I Normal Summon: Elemental HERO Prisma!"