Hikaru glanced at his hand.
Aside from the Dragon's Mirror he drew due to Aster's Drawhand, he also held a card meant to protect himself: Vampire Fraulein.
As for the two Set cards, their usefulness would depend on whether Aster gave him an opening.
If he didn't, only one of them would activate.
'Dragon's Mirror…'
Now was the time to deliberate.
Should he activate Dragon's Mirror now, or save it for the "future"?
"End turn."
"Heh," Aster chuckled coldly.
DONG...DONG...
It was as if the bell of fate had tolled.
"Then, forgive me, President. My turn. I draw!"
Aster drew a card, then played one immediately: "Spell Card, Monster Reborn. I revive Disk Commander from the Graveyard."
The Hero covered in disks rose again.
The unbeatable Disk!
Hikaru furrowed his brow.
It was the authentic "Disk Commander," not a version with nerfed effects!
"When Disk Commander is Special Summoned from the Graveyard, I draw two cards."
Aster replenished his hand yet again.
"Then... I Tribute Destiny HERO - Disk Commander, Denier, and Drawhand!"
SWOOSH
The three named HEROes radiated blood-red light. That light surged upward in a beam that pierced the sky and vanished beyond the clouds.
"By Tributing three monsters, I can call forth this card!
"This is Destiny HERO's ultimate Hero
"Ultimate D: Destiny HERO - Plasma!"
The pillar of blood turned into a sphere of gore, dimming the once-bright sky with its crimson veil.
The stench of blood choked the air. Some weaker students even gagged.
From within the blood, a snapping sound echoed. A winged silhouette descended slowly.
[Destiny HERO - Plasma] Level 8│DARK│Warrior│1900 ATK
"1900 Attack?"
"Three Tributes for just 1900?"
"But... that thing feels terrifying."
Even the expressionless Society of Light members flinched as this monster emerged.
Fear crept into every spectator's heart.
"Next, I activate the Spell Card D - Force!" A white veil of light began swirling around Aster. "After activation, this card is placed face-up on top of my Deck. As long as it stays there, I cannot draw cards."
"Huh?"
"Isn't that suicidal?"
"In exchange, while D - Force is face-up on the top of my Deck, Plasma negates the effects of all monsters my opponent controls!"
Dark Flare Knight, unshaken before, now buckled under the pressure. His aura drained, and he turned deathly pale.
"Then, Plasma's effect! Once per turn, target one of your monsters, equip it to Plasma. Plasma gains half its Attack and copies its effect!"
Before Dark Flare Knight could react, he was pulled in by Plasma's force, absorbed into its body.
[Destiny HERO - Plasma, ATK: 1900 → 3000]
"Oh no, Hikaru's field is wide open now!"
"Don't panic! Hikaru still has two face-downs!"
"Naive!" Aster sneered. "Equip Spell, Cyclone Blade! Equip only to a Destiny HERO. When it declares an attack, destroy all other Spells and Traps on the field!"
"I equip it to Dangerous!"
"Wait… wouldn't that destroy Plasma's equip too?!"
Because of the Duel's tense mood, the spectators were hyper-focused.
"As long as the attack goes through, I don't care! The Duel ends here! Forget Attack Points!
Dangerous, direct attack!"
'Right…'
'As long as the attack goes through!'
"This is what I was waiting for, Aster!" Hikaru shouted. "I flip my Trap Card, Necro Fusion!"
"I banish materials from my Graveyard face-down to Fusion Summon! The summoned monster can't attack this turn."
"From the Graveyard?" Aster frowned.
He had finally baited out Hikaru's Set card, but what could Hikaru possibly fuse with his current Graveyard?
"Fusion materials: one FIRE Warrior and one Dragon!"
'Dragon?'
Aster paused.
'Oh...'
That second card, Flame Swordsrealm, sent to the Grave?
"I banish Curse of Dragon and Flame Swordsman face-down!"
BOOM!
Scarlet flames surged around Hikaru. A dragon clutched a sword in its jaws, coiling around him.
"Fusion Summon!
"Fighting Flame Dragon!"
[Fighting Flame Dragon] Level 5│FIRE│Dragon│1600 DEF
"And I'm not done! The other card you destroyed...
"Waking the Dragon!"
"Tch!" Aster recognized it.
"If this Set card is sent to the Graveyard or banished by your effect, I can Special Summon one monster from my Deck or Extra Deck!
"Come forth, Predaplant Chimerafflesia!"
Under the darkened sky, a massive carnivorous flower erupted from the ground, revealing itself.
[Predaplant Chimerafflesia] Level 7│DARK│Plant│2000 DEF
Honestly, Hikaru would've preferred summoning Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer, a psychological hit to Aster.
Though sadly, DPE could only be Special Summoned by Fusion Summon. He wished he had a revival-capable HERO Fusion like Jaden's Flame Wingman, but alas, no such card was available.
Because of Cyclone Blade, Plasma's Equip Spell was also destroyed, reducing its Attack back to 1900.
Which meant it couldn't overcome Chimerafflesia's Defense.
"...Tch."
Aster looked at the two new monsters and grunted.
"I discard Destiny HERO - Dasher from my hand to activate Dangerous's effect. All Destiny HEROes I control gain 200 ATK for each Destiny HERO in my Graveyard."
"There are 7 Destiny HEROes in my Graveyard, they gain 1400 ATK!"
[Destiny HERO - Plasma, ATK: 1900 → 3300]
[Destiny HERO - Dangerous, ATK: 2000 → 3400]
However, in doing so, he discarded two cards!
Now he only had one card left in his hand.
And…
That was all he had. He could draw no more!
"Destiny HERO - Dangerous attacks Chimerafflesia!"