"Set two cards, end my turn."
Hikaru scanned his hand, silently calculating.Discarding his earlier cards had forced a shift in strategy—but not necessarily a bad one. In fact, based on the quality of his redraw, this hand had more potential than the last. One extra draw made all the difference.
White Crystal let out a guttural growl and summoned a monster.
With a sharp crack, crimson gems splintered open. A black-aura-shrouded knight stepped forth.
Gem-Knight Sardonyx – Level 4, EARTH, Thunder-Type, 1600 ATK.
Prismura barked a command, and Sardonyx lunged at Flame Swordsman.
"Activate Trap—Flame Chain Wyvern!" Hikaru declared.
A burst of fire and whirling chains wrapped around Flame Swordsman, transforming his blade.
ATK: 1800 → 2500.
A single strike sent Sardonyx flying in a shower of sparks and shattered rubies.
Gem-Knight White Crystal – LP: 4000 → 3950.
Prismura grunted, shook off the flames, and flipped his set card.
Fusion Trap: Scrap Fusion.
Hikaru recognized it instantly—it was the corrupted card that had fused into his necklace.
A trap that banishes "Gem-Knights" from the graveyard to perform a Fusion Summon.
With the remnants of White Crystal and a discarded monster, the fractured fusion process began anew.
Fragments collided, shattered, and recombined until a brutal knight emerged—cloaked, hulking, and armed with stone-plated gauntlets.
Gem-Knight Pseudo-Diamond – Level 8, EARTH, Rock-Type, 2900 ATK.Fused from a "Gem-Knight" and a Rock-Type.
"Crap, we're toast," muttered the Alchemage. "Nothing left can stop that!"
"Don't let your logic confine your imagination!" Hikaru snapped back."Trap Card—Flame Sword Dance!"
He grimaced slightly—this was a trap every opponent started playing around since his duel with Yanagi. But now? It was back in full force.
"When a monster is Special Summoned, I can summon a Fusion Monster from the Extra Deck with 'Flame Swordsman' in its name or text, Level 7 or lower. Then, I can flip one face-up monster face-down!"
"Dark Flare—go!"
With a blaze of obsidian fire, Dark Flare Knight surged into place, then unleashed a torrent of black flame that veiled Pseudo-Diamond, turning the towering threat face-down.
The two warriors stood together, back to back—like twin gate guardians defending their master.
"...That's awesome," the Alchemage whispered in awe.
"At End Phase, Scrap Fusion destroys the Fusion Monster it summoned," he reasoned aloud. "That thing's gonna collapse in on itself. We've got this!"
"...Heh... heh..."
!?
The Alchemage paled.That knight just laughed.
Not mindlessly. Not randomly.
It was deliberate. Controlled.
Despite being corrupted, despite being mindless—this thing still knew how to duel.
At the end of the turn, he activated another card.
Fusion.
A normal Fusion Spell.
By fusing the face-down Pseudo-Diamond and the earlier Sardonyx, a new warrior descended—cloaked in stormy currents, wielding a spear and shield.
Gem-Knight Electrum Prism – Level 7, EARTH, Thunder-Type, 2450 ATK.
The White Crystal's alternate form.
With another savage grin, he pointed at Flame Swordsman.
The swordsman blinked and pointed at himself in confusion—just as Electrum Prism hurled a card into the graveyard.
A lightning bolt ripped from the sky.
Flame Swordsman exploded into fragments.
"Once per turn, Electrum Prism can discard a 'Gem-Knight' card to target and destroy a face-up card."
Hikaru nodded.
"Still fighting with zero rationality, but managing to dodge card drawbacks and respond perfectly? Gotta admit… that's impressive."
Way beyond Daichi. Might even rival Jaden.
"Flame Swordsman, you alright?"
"Agh… just singed, master…" Flame Swordsman's silhouette flickered, ghostly and faint, weakened by the lingering dark energy.
But no Life Points lost—Hikaru was still at full health.
And right now?
This was his strongest form.
Even during the duel with Jaden, he hadn't drawn this well.
"Field Spell—Geartown!"A familiar clanking filled the air. Gears spun, chains clattered—it was the symphony of ancient machinery awakening.
"While this card is on the field, the Tribute requirement for Ancient Gear monsters is reduced by 1."
"I Tribute Dark Flare Knight, and Advance Summon—Ancient Gear Golem!"
The earth trembled.
Gears snapped and hissed.
Ancient Gear Golem emerged with a thunderous stomp from the heart of Geartown.
"WOOO! There it is!" Flame Swordsman cheered with Dark Flare, the two shoulder to shoulder in celebration.
Even Alchemage was a bit confused. "Why's everyone so hyped over a rusty giant?"
He didn't get it yet.
But he would.
"Spell Card—Ancient Gear Fusion!"
"OOOHHHHH!!" The warriors hollered.
Hikaru grinned.
"I use Ancient Gear Golem on the field, and send monsters from my Deck as additional Fusion Material!"
"Fusing—Ancient Gear Ultimate Golem!"
The dimensional rift howled.
A colossal machine eclipsed the sky—its footsteps split the earth. There wasn't enough space in this twisted dimension to contain him.
Ancient Gear Ultimate Golem – Level 10, EARTH, Machine-Type, 4400 ATK.
"Ultimate Golem—attack!"
"Ultimate Crush!"
"And during the Battle Phase—I chain Quick-Play Spell: Fusion Duel!"
"During a battle between your Fusion Monster and an opponent's monster: that monster gains ATK equal to the opponent's until the end of Damage Step!"
4400 → 6850.
"Six—what!? 6850!?" Alchemage's jaw dropped.
A haze of smoke blurred the field.Hikaru calmly drew Super Polymerization and raised it high.
The Ultimate Golem's eyes turned red.
A punch like a falling meteor plummeted forward, shattering Prism into splinters.
The explosion echoed like thunder.White Crystal was piledriven into the dirt like a nail through steel.The darkness surrounding him twisted—then was sucked into Hikaru's outstretched hand.
A faint, incomplete card floated toward him—still transparent, with jagged edges.
Barely readable. But he saw it.
Just enough letters.
El Shaddoll Winda.
Of course it was her.It had to be her.
Today was a harvest.
And he hadn't even gotten started.