As Hikaru drove off the ocean's surface, glancing at the card that contained the Earthbound Servant Geo Kraken's power, the security officers stationed along the coast suddenly stirred.
A blond, blue-eyed man in an ornate noble suit pulled up in a gleaming luxury sports car that had sped all the way from the Upper City.
His arrival immediately caused a commotion among the officers, they recognized him at once.
It was one of the noble Duelists who constantly appeared in magazines and on the giant GG billboards in Central City!
The noble stepped out, and before anything else, began berating the security team led by Ushio.
"Why haven't you caught that inter-dimensional traveler Hikaru yet?!"
He waved his gloved hand impatiently.
"If you put in just a little more effort each day, spent two more hours on pursuit instead of idling, you would have succeeded by now!
When I was young, I worked twenty-four hours a day in the mines to reach my current position!"
It was the kind of story that might fool the commoners, but certainly not Trudge.
Though he bowed respectfully, his expression stayed flat, and his thoughts were sharp and bitter:
'Your family's owned three mines for generations. The only thing you've ever done in one is sip wine at the spa next door.'
Still, for the sake of his job, Trudge said nothing and kept his head down.
"Tch, useless bunch with no ambition."
The noble shook his head and turned toward the beach.
By then, Hikaru had returned from the sea and was stepping onto the sand.
Seeing the police blockade and the noble's arrival, Hikaru raised an eyebrow slightly.
"You're the dimensional traveler, Hikaru, aren't you?" the noble called with a grin. "I am Lord Fink, Earl of Grandross, from City's upper district."
"Hikaru Amagi."
"You've been wanted across this dimension, haven't you? That must be troublesome.
Heh-heh. If you can defeat me in a Duel, I can have that bounty lifted."
"Besides, as a messenger of the gods, you must crave dueling others like yourself, to claim greater power."
Hikaru's eyebrow twitched upward.
"Fine."
He started to roll his D-Wheel toward the track.
"Oh no, that won't be necessary," Lord Fink waved dismissively. "I don't participate in those Speed Duels the commoners invented."
"What?"
Hikaru frowned deeply.
He already knew the nobles of this world were arrogant, but this was absurd even for them.
The Earthbound Gods' battles required Riding Duels to trace the "Earthbound Lines."
Without them, how could a proper summoning even occur?
Riding Duels were born from the pursuit of freedom, one of the Synchro Dimension's very foundations!
"Come now, I'm being generous," Fink continued smugly.
"If we were Riding Dueling, my car's speed alone would leave you in the dust. You'd lose before the first turn was over!"
He clearly hadn't considered that duels could end through something other than a race.
Hikaru let out a soft chuckle.
"Fine by me."
He didn't care about the format, only about getting what he came for.
Let Yusei and the others worry about the philosophy of this world.
Hikaru detached his Duel Disk, locking it onto his arm.
With a burst of light, the futuristic grid pattern unfolded in a shimmer of blue circuitry.
Lord Fink's Duel Disk gleamed in response, gilded and ostentatious, like jewelry meant for display.
"DUEL!" ×2
As their duel began, one of the younger officers whispered to Tetsu Trudge:
"Captain… if Lord Fink loses, are we really supposed to just let Hikaru go?"
He sounded nervous, mostly about who'd take the blame.
Tetsu snorted coldly.
If it had been before, he would've said, 'The noble's in charge, don't worry about it.'
But experience told him otherwise.
If Lord Fink lost, the fallout would never touch the noble.
All of it, every failure, every reprimand, would fall on their squad.
A pay cut at best… demotion or dismissal at worst.
"As the host, allow me the first move," Fink said pleasantly.
Hikaru gave him a sharp look, then gestured coolly.
"Go ahead."
Lord Fink LP: 4000
Hikaru LP: 4000
"Hahaha! You've fallen right into my trap, Hikaru!"
Just then, a sharp voice rang out from the cliff above the shore.
A man in a purple military uniform landed beside Lord Fink with a loud thud, laughing wildly as his boots struck the sand.
The Fusion Army?!
Hikaru's eyes narrowed.
So they were already here.
He hadn't expected them to show up this soon, but it didn't surprise him.
After all, in the original timeline, the Fusion Army had collaborated with the nobles of the Synchro Dimension, developing hybrid "Synchro-Fusion" technology.
'So it's begun already, huh… just earlier than planned.'
The surrounding security officers, confused and nervous, began whispering among themselves.
"Who's that guy?"
"No clue."
"He looks like a soldier?"
"Heh-heh-heh. My apologies, Hikaru," Lord Fink said smugly. "But this too is part of military strategy.
Dueling isn't limited to what happens inside the arena, what happens outside matters just as much.
"I've long been in contact with this man, Commander Lilos, who's provided me with all the intel I need on you."
Lilos sneered.
"Hikaru, didn't expect this, did you? While you've been wandering this dimension, the Fusion Army has already formed an alliance with the local nobility!
You're far from home, and not even Crowler can save you now.
Prepare yourself for death!
This time, you're finished!
Professor Akaba himself has arrived in this dimension! You're not leaving alive!"
Hikaru, who had maintained his usual calm expression, suddenly froze.
The moment he heard "Akaba Leo", his pupils contracted.
His entire aura shifted, pressure rolled out from him like a storm.
A surge of violet energy rippled through the sand at his feet, coalescing into a tangible wave of fury.
Even though Lilos stood several meters higher on the cliff, he suddenly felt as if Hikaru's towering presence was looking down on him, as if the young man's shadow had grown impossibly large.
"Heh… Akaba Leo is in this world, is he?" Hikaru murmured, the corners of his mouth twisting upward.
A cold grin split his face, sharp, unnatural, almost feral.
That smile alone made Lilos take half a step back before he even realized it.
In that instant, a chill ran down his spine.
Until now, even knowing Hikaru's reputation within the Fusion Army, he had only regarded him as a dangerous rival.
But seeing him like this, seeing the raw, unrestrained power radiating off him, he finally understood.
He understood why so many within the Fusion Army both feared and idolized Hikaru.
"Hmph," Lilos forced a smirk to hide his unease. "Whatever you are, you've already lost half this battle before it even began."
"Indeed!" Lord Fink, still oblivious to the tension beside him, laughed loudly and drew a card from his deck.
"I already learned about your deck problems from the Fusion Army.
Haha, even though you've Dueled in our Dimension quite a few times, we still haven't figured out the weakness of your deck, Hikaru.
Then let's see what the Fusion Army's scientists have given me!"
Fink raised his hand, grinning with predatory delight.
"I discard one Polymerization from my hand to activate the Continuous Spell
Fusion Doom!"
Fusion Doom?
Hikaru frowned, trying to recall the card's effect.
"Send one Polymerization from your hand to the Graveyard to activate this card.
Then, banish up to three Spell or Trap Cards in your opponent's Deck that include 'Fusion' in their name.
For each one banished, inflict 300 damage to your opponent!"
"And that's not all, while this card remains on the field,every time you activate a Spell or Trap Card with 'Fusion' in its name, this card can negate that activation, destroy the card,and deal 300 points of damage to you!"
Hikaru's eyes narrowed, a flicker of irritation crossing his face.
"Heh-heh-heh! Lord Lilos already told me the key components of your deck, Hikaru!
So I'll banish your Fusion Substitute, Fusion Recycling Plant, and Instant Fusion!"
The Duel Disk on Hikaru's arm responded automatically. Three cards shot out of his Deck, hovering briefly in front of him before shattering like waves crashing on rock, disintegrating into violet dust that scattered into the air.
Hikaru LP: 4000 → 3100
"Hahahaha!"