Leo Akaba, guided by the nobles, finally reached the sacred domain of the Earthbound Gods.
As members of the upper class, those with both resources and leisure to study ancient records, the nobles knew secrets far beyond the grasp of ordinary citizens. And they all knew the name of this world's mightiest Earthbound deity:
Earthbound God Red Supernova.
A being once considered equal to the Crimson Dragon itself.
That, too, was the root of Leo Akaba's confidence.
Although he had failed to obtain the original Sacred Beasts or their true power, through science and dimensional technology he had already replicated portions of their energy.
In addition, he had perfected "solid vision" technology and gained cooperation from deities of other dimensions.
His campaign against the X-Dimension had not gone smoothly, but even failure had proven instructive.
He had underestimated the other worlds.
If his dimension could create beings like G.O.D., then the others might not be as simple as they appeared. Hidden beneath each world's surface were layers of truth that ordinary humans could never reach, just as this Synchro Dimension held its own secret: the War of the One God.
And so, Leo re-formulated his plan.
After careful analysis, he concluded that the Synchro Dimension was now the most fragile among all.
The class divide between its people was its greatest weakness.
All he needed to do was ally with one side, then suppress and dominate the other. Victory would come easily.
Moreover, while this world possessed divine forces, those forces could still be bargained with.
Thus, when he learned that the nobles had a means to commune with the local gods, he immediately decided to intervene personally, to take control of the dimension himself, with his own hands.
Soon, he came face-to-face with Red Supernova, the God of Earthbound Gods.
Unlike the lesser deities, this one, stronger even than the Crimson Dragon, had retained its will, its intellect, and its might despite the sealing of its body.
When it heard that beings from another dimension wished to serve it, the god laughed thunderously and accepted their worship on the spot.
"Offer me power, offer me souls. Revive me. Once I am whole again, even without an emissary, I will face the Crimson Dragon once more."
The god had sensed something extraordinary in the ongoing struggle of the worlds.
And so, it too desired outside aid.
That was exactly what Leo Akaba had hoped for.
With Red Supernova's blessing, he felt the entire world fall within his grasp.
The power of the Fusion Dimension's Sacred Beasts, the Xyz Dimension's Numbers, and now the Synchro Dimension's Earthbound Gods, the strongest forces of every world coursed within him.
Who, now, could possibly stand in his way?
Meanwhile, his scientists were distributing scientifically manufactured Fusion Monster Cards to the local nobles, designed to synchronize with the Security Force's monsters.
In this way, even ordinary soldiers would gain tremendous strength, a gift the nobles found invaluable in suppressing the restless citizens below.
And beyond that, Goodwin, who had long opposed them, had survived only because of his influence within the Security Bureau.
Now, with the Fusion Army at their backs, the nobles felt sure they could crush him completely.
Their power had once been held in delicate balance, but with this new alliance, that balance was about to break.
Just as everyone was celebrating and enjoying themselves, a voice suddenly broke through the celebration.
"Ah, that reminds me, Professor Akaba," said one noble casually, "recently, we discovered another Fusion-Dimensioner in our sector. What's strange is, he's marked with a Dark Signer's Mark. He might've been summoned here by one of the Earthbound Gods. Would you take a look, see if you recognize him?"
He flipped his tablet around to show Akaba Leo.
The moment the image appeared, all noise stopped.
The boasting scientists, bragging generals, smug soldiers drunk on their newfound Earthbound power, and even Leo himself, all froze, as though someone had pressed pause on the entire Fusion Army.
"Huh?" the noble blinked, not understanding.
Then a soldier screamed, a raw, terrified cry that split the silence.
"A-Amagi Hikaru!!!"
It was a cry of pure horror, as though he'd seen the end of the world.
"The top of the Academy."
"The Absolute Fusionist!"
"The Genius of all Geniuses…"
"The GX Champion!!"
They muttered his names, his titles, one after another, every single one except the one no Fusion soldier dared to utter aloud.
They weren't just shocked.
They were afraid.
Only now did the arrogant nobles finally understand who Hikaru truly was.
A man even the Fusion Army considered a threat.
Who was this person?!
Akaba Leo narrowed his eyes.
"Hmph… 'The Answer of Fusion,' is it?"
Why was he in this world?
He turned to a nearby researcher, who was already frantically typing.
"Professor, Crowler is still in Duel Academy," the man reported, "in a meeting with merchants and scholars, he's not in this dimension!"
Leo's eyes widened slightly, then curved upward in a slow, sharp smile.
"Good…"
One of his generals stepped forward eagerly.
"It seems Hikaru was dragged here by the Dark Sign through dimensional interference, Professor. This is our chance!"
Exactly.
A perfect chance.
In this world, where Crowler could not reach him, Hikaru was alone.
Leo could eliminate him completely, cutting off one of Crowler's most powerful allies.
And if necessary, he could do it himself.
The thought pleased him. For his grand design, it was nothing less than a gift.
"It seems you have quite the grudge against this man, Professor?" a blond noble chuckled. "In that case, why not make him our first target? The symbol of our partnership."
Leo glanced at him, expression unreadable.
"A Dark Signer, huh…"
Then, coldly decisive:
"Just in case, Lilos, you'll go as well."
A tall general stepped forward from the line, saluted crisply, and said,
"Yes, sir!"
Leo clasped his hands behind his back, walking toward the edge of the dimensional gate.
From the nobles' district balcony, he looked down upon the Synchro Dimension.
"The next step… toward unifying all dimensions… begins now."
And this time, no one would be able to stop him.