"My turn. Draw."
Hikaru looked at the card he drew and considered for a moment.
He had a play.
"Flip set card! Trap Card: Fusion Reserve!"
Fusion Reserve had already been used once by Hikaru, so no one reacted with particular surprise.
"I reveal Sanwitch from my Extra Deck. Based on the Fusion Materials listed on it, I add Witch of the Black Forest from my Deck to my hand."
"Sanwitch?" Odion looked at the Fusion Monster Hikaru revealed from his Extra Deck, puzzled.
He wasn't puzzled about where Hikaru had gotten such a card. What confused him was why Hikaru would include such a seemingly useless Fusion Monster in his Deck.
No effect, and only 2100 ATK...
Given Hikaru's Fusion Monster reserves, he should have plenty of Extra Deck monsters far better than this.
Hikaru shook his head. "This card was something I carefully selected and specifically prepared."
In truth, Hikaru's Deck had always included Ready Fusion and Bracchio-raidus. Most of the time he no longer used them, but occasionally he still considered them as Fusion Material options.
But as Hikaru's card collection grew, this Sanwitch, obtained from the "World of Oblivion," had become his first choice for a "non-Effect Fusion Monster" in his Extra Deck.
Because its Fusion Materials were Sangan and Witch of the Black Forest!
"I add Witch of the Black Forest from my Deck and Polymerization from my Graveyard to my hand."
Hikaru added the cards to his hand, raised one, and said, "Next, I Normal Summon this monster."
Witch of the Black Forest. An ancient monster Odion was quite familiar with.
When sent from the field to the Graveyard, you could select one monster with 1500 or less DEF from your Deck, confirm it with both players, then add it to your hand.
But Witch of the Black Forest and a God?
Odion had never heard of such a combination.
"Finally, Spell Card: Polymerization!"
Polymerization?!
He was really going to Fuse?!
Odion couldn't help but straighten up, his eyes going wide, staring hard at Hikaru.
How was he going to Fuse?
"If it's Shaddolls, they don't have any Fusion that involves DIVINE Attribute! Absolutely not. And as far as I know, Gem-Knights shouldn't have anything like that either. So how exactly do you plan to Fuse?"
"If it doesn't exist, then you create it. Fusion isn't something so inconvenient. Even a God, as long as it doesn't say 'This card cannot be used as Fusion Material,' can be Fused!
The Fusion conditions are three monsters with different names from my field and hand!"
"Different names?"
"As long as the names are different, that's all it takes?!"
"What an incredibly broad Fusion requirement!"
Everyone looked at Hikaru.
The massive sphere spun wildly in the air. Countless flames and lightning bolts rained from the sky. Odion and Ishizu wore varying degrees of worry on their faces, but Hikaru didn't care about the damage at all.
Fireballs crashed behind Hikaru like meteors. The violent explosions cast the onlookers into shadow. Hikaru's coat tails snapped wildly in the gale, as if heaven and earth, as if nature itself, were trying to stop him.
But no one could stop him!
"I fuse Witch of the Black Forest on my field, The Winged Dragon of Ra - Sphere Mode, and Shaddoll Falco from my hand!!"
"WHOA!!!!"
In the sky, the enormous golden sun began to slowly rotate. It was resisting everything that was happening. Yet under Hikaru's call, this "God" that should never have been on his field began to shrink, turning purple, then spiraled like a vortex into the base color of the Fusion!
"Fusion Summon! Come forth, Trishula! This time's materials are enough to excite even you!"
"ROOAAAARR!!"
Flames hot enough to burn the heavens gradually crystallized into frigid ice. The three-headed dragon roared with excitement as it appeared in the sky.
These materials truly had it thrilled!
Trishula, the Dragon of Icy Imprisonment. Level 9, WATER Attribute, Dragon-Type. ATK 2700.
"He really Fused a God?" Ishizu stared at the scene in shock.
Years ago, someone had Tributed a God to summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon. That moment replayed ceaselessly before her eyes.
"Although it wasn't an awakened God, to willingly discard divine power and use Fusion..." Odion, too, was speechless with shock.
A Divine-Beast!
One of the three Egyptian Gods!
The Winged Dragon of Ra!
Even in its dormant form, having devoured the opponent's monsters and been Summoned using them as Tributes, possessing it was something countless people dreamed of.
Just getting close to a God, just obtaining even a sliver of divine power, could smooth one's path in dueling!
And yet he had cast aside that opportunity without hesitation, without a second thought, and performed a Fusion!
Simply because the God stood in his way, and he wanted to prove that even a God could become Fusion Material?!
"At this moment, Witch of the Black Forest's and Shaddoll Falco's effects activate. Shaddoll Falco's effect: this card Special Summons itself face-down to my field. Then, Witch of the Black Forest's effect: I add one monster with 1500 or less DEF from my Deck to my hand. I add the LIGHT Attribute Elemental HERO Prisma to my hand."
Hikaru took Prisma into his hand, looking quite pleased.
After all, before he came to this world, the Witch of the Black Forest he had used had already been hit with the restriction "You cannot activate cards, or the effects of cards, with the name added to your hand by this effect, for the rest of this turn" by Konami. Being able to use the original effect was certainly a treat.
"Finally, Dreamland's effect. Draw one card."
Hikaru glanced at his hand.
Tierra beside him looked slightly puzzled. "Why choose Elemental HERO Prisma? There are plenty of other support cards you could have picked. Besides, you already have a LIGHT Attribute monster in your hand."
"That won't do. I absolutely refuse to use that card unless it's a last resort." Hikaru glanced at the card he had been holding in his left hand all along and shook his head.
"Spell Card: Shaddoll Fusion! I fuse Shaddoll Falco on my field with Elemental HERO Prisma in my hand!"
Hikaru played a brand-new Fusion card. "The Fusion conditions are one Shaddoll monster plus one LIGHT Attribute monster!"
Hikaru clenched his fist slightly, then spoke. "Your God is the deity of the Sun. But my ally holds a different dominion."
?
"Witness the apostle of the Star-Creating God!"
"Fusing shadow puppets with radiance!"
"Fusion Summon. Level 8."
"El Shaddoll Construct!"
A massive purple halo wove itself above Hikaru's head. Purple puppet strings spread across the entire sky, replacing the space where the Sun God had been, forming a violet ring like an angel's halo.
Beneath the halo stood a towering mechanical giant, calmly gazing down upon everything.
El Shaddoll Construct. Level 8, LIGHT Attribute, Fairy-Type. ATK 2800.
"When Construct is Special Summoned, I can send one Shaddoll monster from my Deck to the Graveyard. I send Shaddoll Dragon from my Deck to the Graveyard. Then, a new chain: Shaddoll Dragon's effect. When sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, I can target one Spell or Trap Card on the field and destroy it."
Hikaru pointed at Odion's set card. "I'm destroying your set card."
Odion let out a low gasp.
The card slowly flipped open. It was the Trap Card Zoma the Spirit.
That was close.
Hikaru sucked in a breath.
He had nearly been killed by that thing.
"Now, El Shaddoll Construct attacks your face-down monster!"
Construct flew forward, targeting Odion's set monster. It flipped face-up, revealing a mass of deep blue "clay" that, the instant it appeared, mimicked a God's form and transformed into a giant dragon-bird.
"Egyptian God Slime cannot be destroyed by battle."
"No matter! When Construct battles a Special Summoned monster, at the start of the Damage Step, I can activate this effect." Hikaru narrowed his eyes, scanning his opponent's field. "Skip the battle and destroy that monster outright!"
Ugh...
The divine angel raised its right hand. Countless puppet strings bound the Slime tight. With a snap, the theoretically indestructible Slime shattered into neat cubes that scattered across the ground and dissolved.
"I'm not done yet! Trishula, the Dragon of Icy Imprisonment, direct attack!"
Trishula howled with excitement. It had been ages since its last appearance, and it had even been summoned using some strange God as material. Now it could unleash its own attack. The thrill was nearly unbearable.
Its three heads spat endless volleys of ice shards that hammered into Odion. He staggered, nearly toppling over.
What powerful spirits...
Odion, LP: 3100 → 400.
"Big Brother Odion!"
"This is bad! Odion only has 400 LP left!"
"He's a candle in the wind!"
Candle in the wind? Which kid was saying that and putting a debuff on him?
Hikaru glanced to the side.
Regardless, the cards in his hand couldn't settle things right now.
"Turn end."
"What's he going to do?"
"Yeah, what now?"
"Odion's going to lose!"
The children had seen the spectacle of Fusing a God, but they were still closer to Odion as their adopted brother. Seeing his LP at a mere 400, they were genuinely worried.
"My turn." Odion showed no sign of giving up and no hint of panic.
He drew his card and glanced at it. "Activate Spell Card: Pot of Avarice."
He revealed the card.
"I return the God's two forms, Slime, and the two monsters I discarded last turn, all back into my Deck and shuffle. Then I draw two cards."
He drew two cards, looked at them, and revealed one.
"Normal Summon: Gravekeeper's Spiritualist."
A dark-skinned, bald figure appeared on his field.
Gravekeeper's Spiritualist. Level 3, DARK Attribute, Spellcaster-Type. ATK 1200.
"Only 1200 ATK..." "What can he do with that?"
The onlookers exchanged nervous glances.
"Next, I activate the effect of a card in my Graveyard."
"The Graveyard?" The children looked at Odion's Graveyard.
Was there something there?
"A card I've been holding back all this time, Hikaru. If I had used it before, I probably could have won in an instant!" Odion thrust his hand forward. "But it's all over now. Because at this moment, I'm invoking the God's true power!
I activate the effect of Ancient Chant in my Graveyard. I banish this card from my Graveyard. After activation, if my Tribute Summon of a God succeeds this turn, It will awaken the power It always possessed: absorbing the full ATK and DEF of the monsters Tributed for Its Summon!"
"Whoa!" "So strong!" "But Odion doesn't have enough monsters on his field!"
"With only one monster, he can't Tribute enough to summon a God, can he?"
Exactly.
That was the real problem!
Even if Odion activated this effect now, what good would it do?
After all, he didn't have enough Tributes...
"Hikaru, using a God as Fusion Material was truly beyond my expectations.
But the God's power extends far beyond that!
Activate Quick-Play Spell: Soul Crossing!"
Hikaru rubbed his forehead gently.
Well then.
Just as he thought.
Hikaru wasn't surprised at all.
Although supposedly only one copy of The Winged Dragon of Ra had been included, it was clear that Ra had fundamentally reshaped Odion's entire Deck, just as Darkness had influenced Atticus.
"Soul Crossing is a Quick-Play Spell that can only be activated during either player's Main Phase. After activation, it allows me to Tribute Summon one Divine-Beast monster, and when doing so, I can Tribute monsters my opponent controls as well!
If I use the opponent's monsters as Tributes, then after this card resolves and until the end of the next turn, I can only activate one card or effect per turn, excluding the effects of Divine-Beast monsters."
"So powerful!"
"Th-That's way too strong!"
"However, powerful cards always come with a price." Ishizu shook her head gently, explaining to the children. "Once he uses this card, it completely overturns all of Odion's habits and tactics."
Odion was someone accustomed to Trap-based strategies. Using this card would severely weaken his strength.
"I offer Gravekeeper's Spiritualist on my field and both Fusion Monsters on your field as Tributes, to summon the God's descent!"
The Sun rose high above the horizon once more!
Trishula roared wildly, trying to resist the force. Yet even with "This card is unaffected by other card effects," it could not defy this card's power!
"Sun God! Burn to ash the monsters that dared use you as Fusion Material!"
"Descend, The Winged Dragon of Ra!"
The Sun God returned for a third time!
The Winged Dragon of Ra. Level 10, DIVINE Attribute, Divine-Beast Type. ATK ?
"The combined ATK of the three Tributed monsters is 6700 points. I then pay 300 Life Points, and with that, the God's ATK is..."
"S-Seven thousand?!"
"WHOA!!!"
"A massive comeback!"
Odion, LP: 400 → 100. The Winged Dragon of Ra, ATK: 7000!
"So as long as he attacks, he wins!"
"Y-Yeah, Hikaru's field is completely empty!"
Every Gravekeeper present looked at Hikaru, standing face-to-face with the God, and couldn't help worrying for him.
7000!
"Hikaru, why didn't you activate Construct's effect?" On the other side, Tierra was still arguing with Hikaru about something else. "Recover Shaddoll Fusion, Fuse another Construct next turn, and let me kill It..."
"That won't work. It can't be done."
"Huh?"
Tierra looked surprised.
"The Divine-Beast's effects: 'This card's Summon cannot be negated,' and 'When this card's Summon is successful, neither player can activate other card effects.'"
Ah, oh!
Tierra realized: "The effect was blocked?"
Hikaru nodded.
"Well, Hikaru? I acknowledge you as an excellent duelist. But you've already lost. The God is simply too powerful. Surrender, Hikaru."
"Surrender?" Hikaru shook his head with a smile. "Don't be ridiculous. How could I possibly do something like that?"
"No, no, Hikaru, this is when you should give in!" A Gravekeeper tried to persuade him.
"If the divine flames reduce your Life Points to zero, even the finest duelist will be bedridden. Hikaru..." Ishizu couldn't help looking toward Yugi, only to find he had absolutely no intention of intervening.
As long as Hikaru himself hadn't given up, he wouldn't interfere.
"I've been wanting to experience a God's attack for a while now. Isn't this the perfect opportunity?"
"Then don't blame me, Hikaru!" Odion pointed at his opponent. "Sun God, attack!"
The Winged Dragon of Ra opened its massive jaws. Enormous flames gathered in the air above, then a colossal fireball rose like the very sun of this Dreamland, scorching everything in blinding heat.
This duel had been decided from the very beginning.
The so-called GX champion would have been defeated by the God on the very first turn. It seemed dueling in the outside world was nothing more than...
!!?
Flames rained from the sky and struck Hikaru head-on, but to his shock, Hikaru didn't budge an inch.
Countless purple puppet strings enveloped Hikaru, shielding him from the solar fire.
A spirit?
What a powerful spirit...
But what difference did it make? He was still going to...
Hikaru, LP: 2600.
"What?"
"Why..."
"How?!"
In the Dreamland, people erupted in disbelief.
"Heh heh heh, ha ha! The reason is simple. I used this." Hikaru picked up a card from beside him and showed it to everyone. "Arcana Force XIV - Temperance!"
"This card can be discarded from my hand to reduce one instance of battle damage I take to zero!"
Flames roared at Hikaru's sides, but they merely flickered like stage lights, casting everything in a fantastical glow.
"By the way, this card has been in my hand since the first turn."
!!!?
Hikaru sent the card from his hand to the Graveyard with a light chuckle.
He had to thank Aster. If Aster hadn't given him this card during their recent time in the "World of Oblivion," he would have had to find some other solution for this duel.
Hikaru had also only recently learned from Aster about Sartorius's awakening. Sartorius had insisted on thanking him, but unfortunately, without the power of the Light of Destruction, the forcibly created Arcana Force EX - The Dark Ruler had vanished. Currently, both Sartorius and Aster were working to repair and complete their respective cards.
But before that, Sartorius had given Arcana Force XIV and XIX as gifts of gratitude to Hikaru.
XIX, The Sun, Hikaru couldn't use for now. But Temperance had truly saved his life.
After all, due to Deck changes, Hikaru now leaned toward a "LIGHT Attribute hybrid Fusion" build. He had dropped his Vampire Fraulein package, losing a "lifeline" in the process. With Temperance, that gap was filled nicely.
Plus, it was a LIGHT Attribute Fairy-Type monster, usable as Fusion Material for El Shaddoll Construct and Gem-Knight Lady Lapis Lazuli, as well as a potential future "Gem-Knight Lady Roseamant." Very beneficial all around.
"He dodged the attack like that?"
"That was so close. Just a hair's breadth from being hit."
Some breathed sighs of relief, others felt disappointment, but most were simply glad Hikaru hadn't been scorched directly by the divine flames.
Even as spectators, they could feel that searing heat. Even these people, accustomed to sandstorms and heat waves, were drenched in sweat, a testament to the intensity.
"As the duel has progressed, hand cards seem to be running thin. Spell Card: Card of Sanctity. Both players draw until they hold six cards." Odion looked at Card of Sanctity in his hand and was forced to play it. If he could have avoided it, he wouldn't want to replenish his opponent's hand at this point. But the direct attack had failed, and he had no effective Ra-related cards to stall with, so he had to refill.
Hikaru raised an eyebrow, thinking he knew something like this was coming. Still, it was welcome, since he needed cards too.
At least the opponent wasn't chain-activating Pot of Greed or using Card of Demise. That was something to be happy about.
Besides, his opponent could now only activate one non-Divine-Beast card effect per turn.
Drawing six cards he couldn't use wasn't too worrying.
"I Set one card. Turn end."
He glanced at the Set card.
Quick-Play Spell: Book of Eclipse. In a pinch, it was an excellent Quick-Play Spell.
"My turn. Draw!"
Hikaru looked at his full hand and smiled.
He drew this, huh...
"Normal Summon: Keeper of Dragon Magic!"
A caped dragon warrior flicked his sleeve and made a flashy entrance.
"Oh!" "Huh?" "He looks just like Hikaru!"
"Keeper of Dragon Magic's effect: when this card is Normal or Special Summoned, I discard one card from my hand to add one Polymerization Normal Spell Card from my Deck to my hand.
I discard Witchcrafter Genni from my hand, and then add Magicalized Fusion from my Deck to my hand!
The turn I activate this effect, I cannot Special Summon from the Extra Deck except Fusion Monsters."
A card in Hikaru's Deck shimmered with purple light, slowly emerging and floating before his eyes.
"Hmm?" Yugi Muto looked at the Spell Card with surprise.
Hikaru gazed at the card in his hand and took a deep breath. "I didn't expect to use this so soon."
Odion frowned slightly.
"Activate Fusion Spell Card: Magicalized Fusion!"
Hikaru raised the card high.
Normal monsters clearly had no chance of winning anymore. So he had to bring out a monster "beyond current comprehension"!
A massive magical mirror appeared at Hikaru's side.
Green light flickered slowly, revealing a strange symbol resembling an ouroboros. After the green glow, a purple halo appeared on the mirror's surface.
Green, purple, green, purple. Two colors of crests alternated and flickered back and forth.
"Huh?"
"What?"
"I don't get it..."
The spectators couldn't understand what they were seeing.
Hikaru took a deep breath, clenched his right fist before him, and spoke quietly. "The Fusion conditions are five Spellcaster-Type monsters!"
"Using Magicalized Fusion's effect, I banish monsters from my field and Graveyard to perform a Spellcaster Fusion!"
"I banish from my Graveyard: Dark Magician, Witch of the Black Forest, Shaddoll Dragon, Shaddoll Falco, and Witchcrafter Genni. Five monsters total!"
Five cards flew into the air and transformed into magic circles of different colors, orbiting Hikaru as though he himself were the magician.
"The ultimate magic, the supreme alchemy, the greatest alchemy the world has ever known, a feat of eternal life worthy of awe!"
"Now, begin the ultimate transmutation of the Philosopher's Stone!"
"Witness my alchemy! My Fusion!"
"Awaken the supreme alchemist's Fusion! Activate!"
Hikaru slowly clenched his fist. A power unlike anything ordinary people could comprehend manifested in his right hand. A strange symbol was traced before his eyes by his hand.
"Fusion Summon!"
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.
Five magic circles soared upward, then instantly expanded into five enormous alchemical arrays. From within them, a spectral magician wearing glasses and a gray cloak slowly transmitted through.
"Level MAX!"
"The supreme alchemist!"
"My mentor!"
"Quintet Magician!"
BOOM!
A humanoid magician appeared on Hikaru's field!
Quintet Magician. Level 12, DARK Attribute, Spellcaster-Type. ATK 4500!
"Quintet Magician?" "Supreme alchemist?" "I don't understand..."
"But with only 4500 ATK, there's no way it can beat the Sun God, right?"
"Exactly. The God's ATK is a full 7000 points!"
Despite being the highest-level magician, they found it hard to believe this monster could withstand a God.
Yugi Muto, watching from the side, couldn't help stroking his chin with curiosity, studying this magician monster.
Though it lacked a "soul," this monster's form of existence felt very familiar to him.
"Quintet Magician's effect! When this card is Fusion Summoned using five Spellcaster-Type monsters with different names as Fusion Material: destroy all cards the opponent controls!"
What?!
All of them!!!
Odion was horrified.
"W-Wait, it's another reversal!"
"Really! If that's the case, doesn't Hikaru win just by attacking?"
"Hold on, Odion still has Ra's Unity on his field!"
True enough.
Odion looked at his Continuous Trap.
He still had Ra's Unity. As long as he released the Sun God, he could gain 7000 Life Points.
But then he looked at his set Book of Eclipse.
If he did that, Book of Eclipse would be wasted.
He weighed his options instantly and reached a conclusion.
Regardless, Book of Eclipse had to be sacrificed.
Even if he used Book of Eclipse now, it would only flip both opposing monsters face-down. Face-down monsters could still serve as Fusion Material. If Hikaru Fused any monster at all, Odion would lose.
Because he only had 100 Life Points.
But by using Ra's Unity to gain 7000 Life Points, unless Hikaru happened to assemble exactly 2600 ATK, he wouldn't lose.
"Activate Ra's Unity's effect! Let the God's wrath dissolve, and increase my Life Points by 7000!"
He activated the effect without hesitation.
The next second.
An enormous magic circle appeared on his field, washing over every inch from top to bottom.
Odion, LP: 100 → 7100.
Life Points increased.
"A wise decision. But Mr. Odion, I think this might be the time for you to consider showing some Temperance."
"What do you mean?"
Odion asked curiously.
"Whether it's out of care for the younger generation, respect for the duel, or reverence for the God, you've done admirably in every regard." Hikaru spoke while thinking. "That being the case, why not consider taking that step, and going out into the world together with Mr. Muto?"
"After all, you no longer need to worry about duty and the like, do you? You're free to do as you wish."
Odion actually agreed with these words. But perhaps because he cared too much for his adopted siblings, they in turn strictly adhered to the Gravekeeper clan's commandments and never considered anything else.
"Setting the example from above. Mr. Odion, is it really that they're too obedient, or is it that you're too bound by rules?"
!!
Odion was jolted.
That was right.
Indeed, it truly seemed to be exactly the case!
"Battle!" At that instant, Hikaru directed the alchemist on his field, pointing at his opponent. "Quintet Magician, direct attack!"
"Fifth Element: Sabbatiel!"
Quintet Magician raised its right hand. Five magic circles shone in unison. Earth, water, fire, and wind flickered within them. After the fourth flash, in the fifth instant, a new, unknown gemstone seemed to coalesce in its hand. The moment Odion saw it, a sharp sting pierced through him.
Odion, LP: 7100 → 2600.
Wh-What just happened?
He hadn't even had time to react.
Hikaru looked at his hand and sighed with mild frustration.
Because he had known his opponent was Odion, a duelist skilled with Traps, his advance preparation had centered on Myutant, Blue-Eyes Tyrant Dragon, and Ancient Gear Fusion Monsters that could counter Traps. He never expected Yugi Muto to add the Egyptian Gods to Odion's Deck at the last minute.
This meant Hikaru's initial preparations were completely inadequate, and his "spirit power" balance hadn't been calibrated beforehand.
If only he had put an Earthbound Immortal in his Deck...
No. Rather, he should be better prepared in the future, or surprise duels would spell trouble. He should squeeze in a copy of Tierra in his Extra Deck going forward.
As a result, his hand was currently full of cards he couldn't use right now. That was also why he hadn't been setting cards. He simply had nothing to set.
Still...
After thinking it over, Hikaru calmly ended his turn once more.
"My turn! Draw!"
Good.
"Spell Card: Monster Reincarnation. I discard Sphere Mode from my hand and add The Winged Dragon of Ra from my Graveyard to my hand."
"Then, I Normal Summon Gravekeeper's Curse."
Gravekeeper's Curse. Level 3, DARK Attribute, Spellcaster-Type. ATK 800.
Hikaru folded his arms, roughly guessing the possibilities.
"When Gravekeeper's Curse is Normal Summoned, Flip Summoned, or Special Summoned: inflict 500 damage to the opponent."
A bizarre divination instrument streaked across the sky and pierced through Hikaru's body.
Hikaru, LP: 2600 → 2100.
"With this, it's truly over." Odion narrowed his eyes slightly. "Activate Spell Card: Spell Reproduction. I discard two cards from my hand, then target one Spell Card in my Graveyard and add it to my hand.
The card I'm choosing is, of course, Soul Crossing!"
"Ah!" At this point, the Gravekeeper's GX participant, who understood dueling better than the rest, gasped with excitement. "Big Brother wins!"
"Really? How? How?" Several children asked eagerly.
"Simple. Soul Crossing can Tribute the monsters on Hikaru's field as offerings for the God. Odion's LP is 2600, Hikaru's is 2100. Odion is 500 points higher. Odion can pay 2500 LP to give the God 2500 ATK, then attack directly for the win!"
That was true!
The children spun back to watch the duel excitedly. Some had already begun cheering.
Only a handful of children still held out hope, waiting for Hikaru to pull off one more reversal!
"Don't tell me he has a second Temperance?"
"If he had a second one, could you still call it Temperance?"
"Huh? Oh, um..." A few of the younger children didn't quite follow his meaning.
But the point was clear: Hikaru truly had no way to block this time.
"Here it comes, worthy junior, Hikaru. The duel ends here. The God's power cannot be defied. Quick-Play Spell: Soul Crossing! I Tribute the monsters on your field and mine as offerings, and descend...
?!"
It couldn't be completed?
He stared blankly at the Spell Card in his hand, disbelief written across his face.
"How is that possible? Even monsters that are 'unaffected by Spell Card effects' cannot resist this rule-based Summoning Spell!"
"Indeed, that's how the rules work." Hikaru nodded gently. "But likewise, the effect works the same way."
?!
Odion looked at Hikaru.
"Quintet Magician is the pinnacle of alchemy? The ultimate transmutation?"
"Exactly!" Hikaru's lips curved upward. "Quintet Magician is the ultimate magician, the final result of Fusion. Therefore...
As long as it's on the field, it cannot be destroyed by effects, cannot be used as Fusion Material, and cannot be Tributed!"
This was bad.
Odion looked at the two cards he had discarded to the Graveyard earlier.
If he had kept those cards, he could have dealt with this situation and prepared for what came next!
Temperance...
He took a deep breath and looked at the God Card in his hand.
It did seem to be exactly as Hikaru said. Because he had been punished by the God and fallen unconscious, he had missed Marik's duel against Yugi. That had always been his regret.
Because he couldn't finish his duel against Joey, that too had always weighed on him.
Because of regret after regret, he had clung to the Gravekeeper traditions, trying to prove his repentance to the Gods through devotion...
And in the end, it was he himself who had been too fixated. Was that it?
"You can't continue your turn, can you?"
Odion nodded and gestured for Hikaru to take his turn. Hikaru wasted no words. After drawing, he commanded his monster once more. "Then, Quintet Magician, launch a second attack!"
"Fifth Element: Sabbatiel!"
Odion, LP: 2600 → 0.