To Hikaru's surprise, the Duel Spirits in this world were unexpectedly friendly—enthusiastically so, even.
After the Duel ended and he and Jaden left the prison, they were immediately surrounded by a sea of Spirits, crowding the path so tightly it was nearly impassable.
One asked what the human world was like.
Another asked how they'd arrived here.
A third straight-up asked if they'd be interested in switching decks.
Naturally, several wanted to join them—to become part of their strength.
Among them was, of course, the Flame Swordsman, who had been so eager to be summoned via the graveyard by Hikaru's Tribute that he'd practically declared eternal loyalty on the spot.
Joining him was Dark Flare Knight, who, impressed by Hikaru's performance, decided following this duelist might not be such a bad idea.
Also appearing were Cyber Blader and Dragon Warrior—both Fusion Monsters who'd been inspired by Hikaru's words and ideals.
The latter was a brave-hearted warrior; the former... well, she was a beautiful and striking female warrior often considered the ace of the original anime heroine Alexis Rhodes… probably.
Though Hikaru couldn't say for certain whether Alexis was even the protagonist in this timeline, or if she ever actually treated Cyber Blader like an ace.
Still, she was very pleasant to look at—and having such an elegant Duel Spirit around would definitely improve the aesthetic of his otherwise chaotic, ugly mess of a Fusion Deck.
Unfortunately, these two didn't intend to leave the dimension with him like the Flame Swordsman.
Instead, they bestowed him with cards.
A little disappointing—no cute spirit girl following him around—but hey, a card's a card.
They explained that although their physical forms couldn't follow, their power was embedded in the cards.
This would allow them to support his other Duel Spirits and defend against malicious forces in the future.
In simpler terms:
They could power up Flame Swordsman and Dark Flare Knight, boosting Hikaru's field against malevolent spirits, supernatural threats, psychic phenomena—or even natural disasters.
And no, that wasn't a joke.
Hikaru listened seriously, because he knew—those things were absolutely possible in the human world.
A massive haul.
No doubt about it.
He now had another Flame Swordsman, so he wouldn't have to overload his deck with multiple Flame Dragon Fusion cards just to search the one copy.
And Cyber Blader was an incredible Metamorphosis target—especially with how low LPs tended to get in this world.
In the right situation, her effect alone could swing a Duel.
With time to breathe, Hikaru glanced over at Jaden.
There stood Avian, arms crossed, towering over Jaden and talking so fast his beak might as well be a machine gun.
Jaden, meanwhile, was scratching the back of his neck, awkwardly smiling and clearly wishing the ground would open up.
"You're too naive, Jaden. You oversimplify Duels—and you oversimplify what it means to be a hero!"
"If it weren't for Hikaru bailing you out, how would you have handled the rest of that Duel against Chaos Soldier?!
I still had cards in hand, remember?!"
"And what was that nonsense with Sakuretsu Armor?!
You didn't even ask about my monster or Fusion effects—you just activated it without thinking!
Hikaru even shouted at you!
If you'd held onto it, you could've destroyed the Ritual Monster next turn!"
Hmm…
For all his darkness, it was clear Avian genuinely cared about Jaden.
And it sure seemed like he knew Jaden personally, too.
Hikaru watched silently as Avian spent a full thirty minutes lecturing Jaden.
Finally, he gave a dramatic flap of his wings, pulled Jaden into a tight hug—and then vanished into a card.
The moment Hikaru saw the card materialize, his eyes lit up.
He turned toward Gaia, hopeful.
"What are you looking at?!
I'm never going with some Fusion fanatic like you!"
Gaia huffed, crossing his arms.
"My life's purpose is to blaze the path for Lord Chaos Soldier.
I'm his vanguard, his sword—I will never follow anyone else!"
...Well.
Hikaru raised an eyebrow.
"Okay."
He shrugged.
From card artwork alone, you could tell that a "Gaia" had once passed through the light and shadow to become the envoy who split the heavens—a.k.a. the original Black Luster Soldier.
But Gaia had many potential evolutions, like a Digimon or Pokémon.
He could represent nearly every summoning method.
Still, the Fusion path—Gaia the Dragon Champion—was undoubtedly the most prominent.
"Gaia."
"Yes, my lord!"
At some point, Envoy of the Beginning had arrived in their midst.
All the Duel Spirits fell to one knee before the legendary warrior.
"After all you've experienced, you still haven't realized your flaw?"
"I… My lord, I…"
"You and Avian underwent a trial together.
He sought to inspire courage and heroism in the Duelist.
You? You were just a plus-one."
"Even until the end, you bickered.
Meanwhile, your human opponents trusted one another.
When his partner misplayed, the Fusion Duelist didn't blame him. He covered for him—literally—with a set card strong enough to turn the tide."
"But you? You played your Trap early—to show off.
You are not ready to follow this warrior.
Your training is far from over."
"...I understand, Lord Chaos Soldier."
Gaia lowered his head, ashamed.
He turned to Hikaru with honest regret.
"Warrior from another world, I failed this time.
In the future, I'll visit and offer my apologies properly."
Hikaru exchanged a glance with Jaden and smiled.
"It's alright!
Acknowledging others is part of Fusion too!"
"To you, Ritual Summons may be the most noble path.
To me, it's Fusion.
But that's just a difference in beliefs—no shame in that."
Gaia's head dropped even lower.
Spirits really were simple creatures.
If this had been a real person back on Earth, no way would they take a speech like that without snapping back.
Chaos Soldier gave a slight nod.
Then he turned to Hikaru and raised his hand.
A soft purple glow bloomed from his palm and wrapped around Hikaru, slowly forming a new card.
"Very well…
Warrior from another world, according to the agreement, Gaia was meant to accompany you.
But as he is not yet ready… I shall give you what is rightfully yours:
A portion of my own Fusion power."
Even Jaden froze in awe.
Hikaru blinked in stunned silence.
"Magician of Chaos – Supreme Commander!"
A Fusion Monster requiring Dark Magician and a Chaos Ritual Monster!
As expected of the original Chaos Soldier, to grant such a card!
Then, with a sweep of his blade, Chaos Soldier carved a glowing circle in the air.
The space twisted, spun—and then opened into a new portal, revealing a completely different world beyond.
"Now then… let me personally send you back."
"Forgive me for asking, Lord Chaos Soldier—
but how exactly are you sending us back?" Hikaru asked.
For the first time, the warrior offered a thin smile.
"You didn't think you arrived in this world via the prison, did you?"
...Huh!?
Wait a second—
Once the two followed Chaos Soldier to the portal, it all clicked.
They hadn't been randomly transported to that cell.
They had been intercepted mid-transit—forcibly diverted by Chaos Soldier himself!
Now, they only needed to step through the gate to return to their world.
"Warriors from another dimension—
you are always welcome to return," Chaos Soldier said.
"But know this—guarding the Underworld is my duty.
If you return home, I ask that you keep the secret of this realm."
"You got it, Mr. Chaos Soldier!"
Jaden grinned and struck a confident pose, slapping his bicep.
"We won't tell a soul!"
"Jaden and Avian are close—we'll just say we visited a world full of heroes."
Hikaru rubbed his chin, offering a plausible excuse.
Chaos Soldier gave one final nod.
"Then farewell…
Warriors in pursuit of higher purpose."