"Ancient Chant?"
"I think I heard Brother Marik mention that once..."
Several of the Gravekeeper newcomers discussed with uncertain alarm.
Odion extended his left hand and declared the effect: "Only one Ancient Chant can be activated per turn. I add one The Winged Dragon of Ra from my Deck or Graveyard to my hand. This turn, in addition to my Normal Summon, I can perform one additional Tribute Summon during my Main Phase!"
"Come forth, The Winged Dragon of Ra!"
He raised his hand. Suddenly, dark clouds began gathering in the sky. Rolling thunder rumbled within them. A golden phantom slowly materialized behind Odion.
"Oh?" Tierra's eyes lit up at the sight.
This was...
True divine majesty!
"A God?!" Ishizu, watching from the sidelines, could barely keep her composure. She spoke in alarm, "How is that possible? The God Cards should have vanished from this world!"
She called out urgently to Odion, "Is it a copy? Odion, don't use that card! Have you forgotten what happened..."
"There's no need to worry, Miss Ishizu." Yugi Muto cut in at that moment. "While it is a 'copy,' it is equally a 'real' card. So even if he uses it, there will be no divine punishment."
Was that so?
Ishizu stared in astonishment.
Hikaru lightly pinched the bridge of his nose.
Indeed, just as Yugi said, the card was not a fake.
In the original Yu-Gi-Oh!, at the very end, the three Egyptian God cards had entered eternal slumber alongside the Nameless Pharaoh, remaining sealed in the afterlife.
But in truth, not all three Egyptian Gods had passed into the afterlife.
In the original Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, it was explicitly stated that one copy of The Winged Dragon of Ra, as a replica and research card, had been left in Pegasus's possession.
In this world, those without the proper qualifications could not use certain cards. Likewise, if a card was counterfeit, if a God Card was duplicated through technical means, or if a card was manufactured through unauthorized channels, the user risked punishment from spirits and gods. Mild cases resulted in loss of consciousness. Severe cases meant being struck by fire and lightning, losing all awareness permanently.
The original story had mentioned more than once the fate of ambitious fools who attempted to copy God Cards only to receive divine retribution.
This was also why so many eccentric people sought out Mr. Pegasus to create their cards. Without his gift, it was simply impossible to produce a suitable vessel.
So this Winged Dragon of Ra must have been the one left behind in this world: the last Divine-Beast card remaining in this dimension.
After Hikaru roughly explained all of this, Yugi spoke again: "But that would be too lonely, wouldn't it?"
"?" Ishizu and Odion looked at him.
Even now, they didn't understand why Yugi had given them this card.
"All of Its companions left this world. Only It remained here. That's too isolated, too lonely." He patted his sketchpad. "So I asked Mr. Pegasus, and using my memories, we tried to create some cards. I hoped to keep It from being too alone.
It was around the time of the GX tournament that I finally completed them. And I'd hoped to find a suitable person or group to entrust them to."
So that was the whole story.
Cards personally designed by Yugi himself?
And from the sound of it, cards designed based on scenes from his own memories?
Odion looked at the card in his hand and couldn't help but draw a deep breath.
He remembered the past.
Back then, serving as Marik's shadow, he had dueled Joey Wheeler. To secure victory, he had summoned The Winged Dragon of Ra. But that had not been a real card. It was a counterfeit of a God, and for that reason, before battle could even commence, divine wrath descended, causing him to lose consciousness and forfeit the duel.
Now, he could finally use this card again.
"Here it comes, Hikaru."
Hikaru swallowed hard. A thin bead of sweat formed on his forehead.
A battle against a God!
"I Tribute Metal Reflect Slime on my field, and from my Extra Deck, I Special Summon this card!"
"Egyptian God Slime!"
The Slime's body began to twist violently. Before long, it transformed into a massive, blue-green divine bird.
Egyptian God Slime. Level 10, WATER Attribute, Aqua-Type. ATK 3000.
"Oh, this card can be Special Summoned from the Extra Deck by Tributing an Aqua-Type, Level 10, ATK 0 monster on your field. Haha, come to think of it, I actually got the inspiration from your Thunder Dragon Colossus, Hikaru." Yugi explained from the sidelines.
Although Hikaru already knew this card, hearing that still gave him a strange feeling of fate at work.
"Next, while three monsters would normally be required as Tributes, Egyptian God Slime can count as three Tributes!
I release Egyptian God Slime on my field..."
"Appear, great God!"
He held the card high. Raging flames swept across the peaceful floating islands. Pitch-black clouds buried the entire world in darkness. Countless bolts of lightning struck the center of the field.
The once-spectral golden silhouette began to slowly manifest its true body...
"Wow!"
"Whoa!!"
"Th-That's the God we've been serving all this time?!"
The Winged Dragon of Ra!
The Winged Dragon of Ra. Level 10, DIVINE Attribute, Divine-Beast Type. ATK ?
Hikaru felt his whole body trembling.
Not from fear, but from excitement!
Although he had dueled countless beings that claimed to be gods or were god-level entities, and had even defeated the so-called "ultimate Earthbound Immortal," those gods had one gap compared to the three Egyptian Gods that could never be erased: they were not Divine-Beasts!
The Winged Dragon of Ra was a genuine DIVINE Attribute, Divine-Beast Type monster. In the truest sense, it was the first God Hikaru had ever faced!
"When The Winged Dragon of Ra is Summoned, I can reduce my Life Points to 100. Then its ATK rises by the amount I paid."
Odion, LP: 4000 → 100. The Winged Dragon of Ra, ATK: 3900!
"3900!" "Ha, even Blue-Eyes White Dragon can't match that!"
Even in such a secluded environment, the kids here knew about Blue-Eyes White Dragon?
Hikaru still had the presence of mind for a quip like that.
"Wow, that dragon has quite the presence." Tierra nodded from beside him.
From a god's perspective, the opposing entity certainly commanded impressive divine authority.
Odion turned and gazed up at the towering God.
This time, the deity did not visit divine punishment upon him.
Had the God finally acknowledged him? Or was it, as the King of Duelists said, that the God truly felt lonely?
Or rather, were the Gravekeeper children lonely now too? Did they also want to see other places?
"Battle! The Winged Dragon of Ra attacks Myutant Synthesis!
Blaze Cannon!"
The Sun God drew a deep breath, then from its maw, unleashed a torrent of scorching flames.
The tentacled monster was incinerated to ash in an instant. The blaze then surged onward, crashing into Hikaru.
Fire engulfed Hikaru's body. The horrifying burn stripped away his consciousness for a brief moment. He staggered backward almost instinctively as though about to topple over, retreating two or three steps before catching himself just before falling. He came to his senses, wincing as he closed his left eye, clutched his head, and dropped to one knee.
Hikaru, LP: 4000 → 2600.
A mere 1400 points of damage, and Hikaru's entire body was wracked with discomfort.
"I told you to let me take that attack for you. This divine fire scorches the mind. No matter how physically strong you are, on a mental level you're still human. Willpower alone can't shield you." Tierra looked puzzled beside him.
"Ha, I know that too, but..." Hikaru sucked air through his teeth, braced himself, and forced his body upright.
His cold sweat had been vaporized instantly by the attack. His brain throbbed as though pierced by ten thousand needles: "But this is a rare opportunity. I'm far too curious about Ecole de Zone."
Tierra sighed with mild exasperation.
Still, she conceded the point.
If he wanted to visit Ecole de Zone, a dimension where even Banner couldn't resist the mental invasion, tempering his mental resistance was essential.
"Are you all right, Hikaru?"
"Taking a direct hit from divine fire and still standing. That's remarkable resilience."
After steadying himself, Hikaru rubbed his forehead again, looked at his opponent, exhaled lightly, and coughed a couple of times, still feeling some discomfort.
"No big deal," Hikaru said.
"Impressive." Odion nodded gently.
As someone who had also been struck by divine fire before, he had lost consciousness instantly. Granted, that had been Ra attacking in wrath, but surviving the attack and remaining this composed was quite the feat.
Odion glanced at the cards in his hand, pulled out two, and set them on the field again. "I set two cards. Turn end."
Two more set cards.
And this time, there was also a God with 3900 ATK!
However...
Through the exchange just now, Hikaru had confirmed something.
Namely, although this "God" did carry the genuine will of the Sun God, the "card" itself, being a replica, was certainly not as perfect as the original God Card.
After all, the original God allowed its user to reduce their Life Points at will, even down to 1, while Odion could only reduce his to 100.
In other words...
This Winged Dragon of Ra had no innate "immunities."
That made things much simpler.
"My turn! Draw!"
Hikaru drew a card sharply and glanced at it.
"What will it be?" "If it's Hikaru, it's definitely going to be a Fusion, right?" "What kind of Fusion could defeat a God?"
The crowd chattered excitedly.
This was no ordinary monster. This was the legendary Winged Dragon of Ra, a God Card that others might never see again!
The children nearby stared at Hikaru with burning anticipation, eager to see his next move.
Tierra scanned them with little interest, while Hikaru briefly checked the cards in his hand.
Mr. Muto's goal was to rekindle their interest in the outside world. But it also seemed that part of his intention was to invigorate Odion, to get him involved in dimensional adventures just like himself and the other adventurers across the dimensions.
That was why he had specifically prepared a "God Card" and deliberately ensured that no KaibaCorp camera crews followed them to film.
If that was the case...
A smile appeared on Hikaru's face. "I understand. If that's how it is, then I'll offer a Fusion of equal caliber."
?
Odion was momentarily puzzled.
"I flip my set card!"
Hikaru raised his right hand. "Trap Card: Fusion Reserve!"
"Fusion... Reserve?"
As a master of Trap Cards, Odion knew the effects of virtually every known Trap. Naturally, he knew this one too. "Fusion Reserve lets you reveal one Fusion Monster in your Extra Deck to your opponent, then add one Fusion Material monster whose name is specifically listed on that card from your Deck to your hand. After that, you can also add one Polymerization from your Graveyard to your hand."
Hikaru nodded.
"A dedicated Fusion support card. So, what are you going to reveal, Hikaru?"
"Heh heh heh..."
What was he going to reveal?
Hikaru picked up his Extra Deck and fanned it out into the air like petals scattering from a goddess's hand. Fourteen purple-backed cards floated above him.
"What's he going to reveal?"
The children craned their necks, eager to see which card Hikaru would choose and what his Extra Deck contained this time.
Hikaru's hand swept lightly through the air, and then...
Ishizu felt a sudden pang in her chest.
Wh... what was this feeling?
In a flash, Hikaru snatched one of the cards. The remaining thirteen flew back into his Extra Deck. Hikaru flipped the chosen card face-up with a flourish. "The card I'm revealing is this one!
Fusion Monster: Blue-Eyes Tyrant Dragon!"
"Blue-Eyes Tyrant Dragon?!" The children echoed in unison.
"Blue-Eyes?!" Odion's eyes went wide.
"It's... Blue-Eyes?!" Ishizu couldn't help clenching her fists.
Yugi Muto looked at Hikaru, mildly surprised himself.
Blue-Eyes Tyrant Dragon? Adding a card whose name is listed as material to his hand... Did that mean...
Kaiba actually allowed something like this to happen?!
"By revealing Blue-Eyes Tyrant Dragon, through Fusion Reserve's effect, I add the slumbering dragon from my Deck to my hand: Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
Hikaru's Deck shimmered with pure white light. Then a card automatically ejected and flew into his hand.
Following that, Hikaru also retrieved Polymerization from his Graveyard.
"Next, by revealing the Blue-Eyes White Dragon in my hand, I Special Summon: Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon!"
Pristine white wings slowly unfurled.
Unlike Seto Kaiba's dragon, the one Hikaru summoned didn't appear purely "white." Its body carried hints of black and purple. It gazed across the field at the God from a distance, and then... roared!
"RAAAAH!!"
Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon. Level 8, LIGHT Attribute, Dragon-Type. ATK 3000!
"That's..."
"3000..."
"It really is a Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
...
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