"Hikaru, be careful! His Dueling... it's beyond anything we expected!" Zane Truesdale warned, watching as Hikaru Amagi stepped into a Duel with Dr. Banner without a moment's hesitation.
Hikaru gave a slight nod.
On the other side, Jaden Yuki stirred, groaning, clutching his arm as he leaned against the star he was trapped on. "Hikaru... cough cough... sorry…"
"Jaden, just rest for now—don't push yourself!" Hikaru's eyes never left Banner. His heart was tangled in doubt.
This doesn't make sense.
Jaden lost?
Did I jinx him with all that praise…?
"What's wrong? Aren't you going to start your turn?" Banner stood calm, composed, like a blade hidden under velvet.
Hikaru frowned, glanced at his hand, and drew.
"My turn! Draw!" He immediately revealed a card. "I activate the Continuous Spell—Future Fusion! I reveal Labyrinth Tank, sending Cannon Soldier from my Deck to the Graveyard. Then I activate the Continuous Spell—Flame Swordsman's Domain!
I discard Ancient Gear Knight from my hand to trigger its effect—Special Summon Flame Swordsman!"
Flame Swordsman – Level 5, FIRE, Warrior, ATK 1800
"I set one card facedown. Turn end!"
Banner watched Hikaru's play, then chuckled softly and pinched his own cheek—shattering a fragment of his face like porcelain. "Hikaru-kun... you don't seem surprised to see me like this."
"...Yeah." Hikaru couldn't exactly say I'm from another world where you were always sus, so he just nodded. "I had a feeling. Your alchemy... it's always been real. But your usual persona? Too weak, too staged."
"So that's how you figured it out?" Banner nodded with a grin. "No wonder—you've always had the strongest alchemy talent in Duel Academy."
"Dr. Banner, why!?" Chumley ran to the edge of his containment sphere, shouting. "Why are you a Shadow Rider? Why would you hurt Jaden!?"
"Heh…" Banner chuckled again. His eyes opened—glowing crimson like something no longer human. "Not became. From the start… I was the one who formed the Shadow Riders."
"What!?" Atticus Rhodes blinked. "Wait… I remember now—it was you who made me forget!"
"Exactly." Banner sneered as he drew. "My turn. Draw."
He glanced at his hand, then looked straight at Hikaru, lifting a card. "Then allow me to show you… the next level of alchemical power!
I Normal Summon—Aleister the Invoker!"
No f*cking way.
Hikaru's eyes went wide.
No wonder Jaden lost! This counts as alchemy!?
A howling wind burst out. Cloaked in a flowing mage's robe, staff in one hand, grim tome in the other—Aleister appeared, crackling with dark energy.
Aleister the Invoker – Level 4, DARK, Spellcaster, ATK 1000
As he arrived, Banner coughed. Aleister turned slightly, exchanged a brief glance with him. A nod passed between them—like two soldiers before war.
"Only 1000 ATK?" Bastion Misawa exhaled, puzzled. "That's Banner's monster? Never heard of it in circulation."
"Be careful, Hikaru! That monster's insanely strong!" several trapped students shouted in panic.
Sweat beaded down Hikaru's temple. Of course he knows how dangerous it is.
"Aleister's effect activates! When he's summoned—add one Invocation from my Deck to hand!"
"It's coming, human," muttered Komi's voice, her spirit form materializing beside Hikaru.
"I activate the Spell Card—Invocation!" Banner revealed the card. "It's a Fusion Spell that lets me send monsters from my hand to the Graveyard.
But—when Fusion Summoning a Invoked Fusion Monster, I can also banish monsters from either side's Graveyard!"
"I banish Aleister from my field and your Ancient Gear Knight from your Graveyard!
Fusion Summon!
Behold—the EARTH-attribute Invoked fusion beast: Invoked Mechaba!!"
A massive armored titan erupted from the ground, glowing with summoned sigils, eyes like molten stone. It stared Hikaru down.
Invoked Mechaba – Level 8, EARTH, Rock, ATK 3000, DEF 3300
"W-What!?" Bastion's jaw dropped.
"Hold it! At this moment, I activate my set card—Blazing Sword Dance!" Hikaru didn't hesitate.
"Blazing Sword Dance, huh?" Banner chuckled. "You haven't used those cards in ages."
"You know what it does, then."
"Of course. It lets you Special Summon Flame Swordsman and overlay my monster."
"I Special Summon—Black Flame Knight! Overlay on your EARTH-attribute Invoked!"
Black Flame Knight – Level 6, DARK, Warrior, ATK 2200
Banner casually let his Mechaba be suppressed by the trap.
"Nice defense," he said. "But my turn's not over. I activate Invocation from the Graveyard—shuffle it into the Deck, and add one banished Aleister to my hand."
"WHAT!?" Bastion's voice cracked. "That means—he can keep summoning Invoked monsters every turn!?"
"Aleister is a card that can twist the rules of Fusion itself," Banner said calmly.
A spirit version of Aleister emerged at his side, locking eyes with Hikaru. It turned to Banner and said:
"This is the last time I help you, Banner. We're done."
"That's fine." Banner nodded casually. "I don't have much time left anyway."
Then he raised his voice. "With that—I end my turn."
"He… he just ended his turn?" Syrus Truesdale clutched his knees, trembling. "He's so confident. It's terrifying…"
"That monster of his…" Alexis Rhodes said, visibly shaken. "It's overwhelming."
"3300 DEF... and it was summoned using Hikaru's monster..." Zane muttered grimly. "Now, even Super Fusion Beasts or Ancient Gear Ultimate Golem would struggle to break through."
Hikaru took a deep breath.
In the original world, Banner had been a formidable threat—but he never imagined this version of Banner would ditch alchemy entirely to use Invoked!
I need to lock Aleister out.
Or...
His thoughts whirred. Then his eyes gleamed. He'd found it.
A tactic. A path to break through.