ATK 3750!
Far above Blue-Eyes White Dragon!
Worthy of legendary duelists, it looked insanely strong!
Several of Chazz's relatives who'd come to watch gasped in awe at the monster's entrance.
They didn't understand duels, but they understood numbers, and they knew a Fusion Monster that could hit the field by banishing cards straight from the Graveyard was no weakling.
When Rex Raptor saw the summon, his earlier indifference melted away.
He'd watched other duels of the Paradox Brothers before, and back then this monster hadn't appeared.
Seemed these two had finally felt the sting of shame and gotten serious, overhauling plenty of their Deck.
In that case... Hikaru's side might be in for a tougher fight than expected.
"Ooooh! Gate Guardian evolved too!?" Jaden couldn't help cheering. "Didn't know you could Contact Fuse by banishing from the Graveyard, that's a step beyond Neos!"
"Hmph, kid, you're not the only one in the world who improves." Mei lifted a finger, tapped his forehead, and declared, "Battle Phase! Gate Guardian Combined attacks Brave Neos!"
Brave Neos gained 100 ATK for every HERO in the Graveyard, bringing it to 3100.
But Gate Guardian Combined was still stronger!
All three heads on Gate Guardian's body gathered power. Spheres of lightning, storm, and water erupted together, dragging the armored Neos into the depths of the maze.
Hikaru & Jaden -- LP: 8000 -> 7350
"Hah, end turn." The Paradox Brothers folded their arms in perfect unison, as if that settled everything.
"Leaving only one monster on the field won't beat Hikaru that easily," Jaden said.
"Ha, this isn't 'just one monster.'" Kyuu wagged a finger. "Like your Absolute Zero, Gate Guardian Combined isn't that simple."
Same as Absolute Zero?
Jaden's pupils shrank.
What did that mean?
Whatever hidden trick lay behind it, it was now Hikaru's turn. Jaden finally heard Hikaru's voice again, but after only a few words, and a reminder that Hikaru could use his cards, he realized Hikaru wasn't answering.
"Haha, your partner's a lot sharper than you." Kyuu chuckled. "Still haven't noticed? He can't hear you."
"So that's how it is..." Jaden understood.
The maze was built for that?
"Interesting! Want to test our teamwork?" Jaden laughed. "Then you're in for a surprise.
Hikaru is a duelist who chases the ultimate Fusion, and a Tag Duel is precisely a fusion of hearts and minds between partners.
Hikaru won't make a mistake."
Oh?
Hearing that, the Paradox Brothers looked slightly surprised.
Such trust in a partner?
Chazz blinked, muttering, "Jaden actually said something philosophical?"
Rex Raptor kept nodding.
The kid had brains. If Chazz had heard that, he'd wonder if he'd fallen into a parallel world.
Lulu remarked that Hikaru had good friends, both Chazz and Jaden seemed amazing.
"Jaden said that?" Serena murmured from the stands. Knowing full well the two couldn't communicate, she'd been worried they'd misplay, yet here was Jaden, brimming with confidence and trust.
"My turn, draw!"
Hikaru drew, glanced at the card, saw it wasn't immediately needed, and flipped his set card. "I activate my face-down!"
A face-down?
Oh right, Jaden did set one for him.
But why not last turn? What could it be now?
The crowd was puzzled.
"Trap Card, Fusion Reserve!"
"Fusion Reserve?" The brothers were startled.
"A Trap that helps with Fusion? Your partner really trusts you." Kyuu nodded toward Hikaru.
"Of course. Fusion Reserve lets me reveal a Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck and add one of its listed materials from my Deck to my hand, then add one copy of Polymerization from my Graveyard to my hand.
I reveal Evil HERO Malicious Fiend from my Extra Deck!"
Evil HERO?
Lulu covered her mouth in surprise. This archetype didn't exist in her world.
Both were "E-HERO", what was the difference?
Evil HERO, huh...
So today Hikaru's Fusions were HEROes too?
Just not Elemental HEROes.
The onlookers, familiar with Hikaru's tendencies, weren't shocked. Any Fusion was par for the course with him.
"Thanks to Fusion Reserve, I add Evil HERO Malicious Edge from my Deck, then return Polymerization from my Graveyard to my hand." His Duel Disk ejected a card, hovered it for display, then dropped it into his hand. Simultaneously, Jaden's Polymerization left the Graveyard and joined him.
"Next, I activate Vision HERO Faris from my hand! By discarding one other 'HERO' monster, I can Special Summon it.
I discard Evil HERO Malicious Edge to Special Summon Faris!"
Vision HERO!
That camera-themed series.
Looked like today was a real HERO festival!
A wave of excited chatter swept through the crowd.
As one of the most accessible archetypes in the world, HERO cards were famous and everywhere, yet that fame only applied to the common ones.
Fusions like Evil HERO, Vision HERO, Masked HERO, or the Neos fusions Jaden wielded were almost never seen.
A camera locked onto Hikaru's field. Inside the Labyrinth, a pink Vision HERO silhouette shimmered into view.
It flickered, then solidified.
"When Faris is Normal or Special Summoned, I can place one 'Vision HERO' from my Deck face-up in my Spell & Trap Zone as a Continuous Trap. After this effect resolves, I can only Special Summon 'HERO' monsters from the Extra Deck for the rest of this turn.
I place Vision HERO Increase in my Spell & Trap Zone as a Continuous Trap."
"Treated as a Continuous Trap..."
"Ha, just like Labyrinth Wall Shadow!" The Paradox Brothers burst out laughing at the parallel.
Another camera shifted, projecting a blue image onto his field.
"During either player's Main Phase, I can Tribute one HERO on the field to Special Summon Increase from my Spell & Trap Zone."
Hikaru waved his hand. The pink silhouette vanished, replaced by a blue-armored hero.
Vision HERO Increase!
"When Increase is Special Summoned from the Spell & Trap Zone, I can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower 'Vision HERO' from my Deck.
Special Summon -- Vision HERO Vyon!"
A deep-violet mechanical hero appeared beside the blue warrior, as if it had always stood there.
"Whoa whoa whoa! So cool, this is Vision HERO?!"
Jaden cheered.
Though his voice didn't reach Hikaru, the latter could picture Jaden's starstruck grin perfectly.
Hikaru's lips curved. "When Vyon is Summoned, I send one 'HERO' from my Deck to the GY. I send Elemental HERO Shadow Mist!"
He could almost hear Jaden yelling, "How do you have Shadow Mist too?", but these cards weren't alchemized. The Vision HEROes had simply gifted them earlier, and he hadn't had a chance to use them until now.
"I remember Shadow Mist's effect."
"Right. When it's sent to the GY, I add a HERO monster with a different name from my Deck. I'll add Evil HERO Adusted Gold."
"Then I activate Adusted Gold's effect: by discarding it, I add Dark Calling from my Deck to my hand." Hikaru sent the corrupted golden hero to the GY to retrieve Dark Calling.
"Now I'll use Vyon's other effect: once per turn, by banishing one 'HERO' from my GY.
I add one 'Polymerization' Spell from my Deck to my hand.
I banish Shadow Mist to add Fusion Substitute."
Though called Fusion Substitute, it was still treated as "Polymerization" by game rules, so Vyon could search it.
"Searching a Fusion Spell, exactly the kind of monster Hikaru would run."
"Looks like all that talk about their spirits fusing through dueling wasn't just hot air."
Spectators and Princeton Group partners alike nodded as Hikaru secured his Fusion card.
"All set, activate the Spell Card, Fusion Substitute!" Hikaru lifted the two Vision HEROes from his field. "This card can fuse monsters on the field!
Hero hidden within light and illusion, step upon the stage and carve us a new path!"
Countless spotlights converged. Arms folded, coat billowing, a warrior appeared in a blaze of light!
Vision HERO Adoration -- Level 8, DARK, Warrior, ATK 2800
"A Vision HERO Fusion, I saw that in the GX Tournament!"
"Oh right, the guy who dueled Hikaru! Vision HEROes really are something else."
Another new HERO.
Lulu leaned forward, curious.
A very important friend of hers used a "Vision" Deck, close cousin to these cards.
"Adoration's effect: once per turn, I target one other HERO I control and one monster you control. Your monster loses ATK and DEF equal to my HERO's ATK!"
Hikaru pointed to Acid on his field, then to Gate Guardian Combined.
Light focused on the two monsters. A huge Acid mirage flared over Gate Guardian Combined.
"Dropping its ATK by 2600 in a flash, now it's completely safe!"
"Cutting a monster down to 1150 ATK instantly? That's brutal!"
"And now..."
Hikaru's supporters erupted. Chazz's second eldest brother flashed a sly grin.
"Hah, naive!"
The Paradox Brothers shouted in perfect sync, unable to hear each other yet mirroring every word: "Too naive!
Gate Guardian Combined's effect!
Up to three times per turn, when the opponent activates a card or effect that targets a card I control, I can negate and destroy it!"
"What?!" Chazz gasped.
That effect could even bypass his Armed Dragons.
"Three negates!?" Serena zeroed in on the number.
"Three targeted-effect negates, and it protects the whole field, basically a built-in Safe Zone!"
So troublesome!
3750 ATK and three layers of protection?
All three heads of Gate Guardian Combined inhaled. The phantom aura around them shattered.
A quick spin, then a glare as it spat lightning, shattering Adoration's vision effect in an instant, yet its Water and Wind components still kept it safe!
"How's that? This is our invincible shield, the Gate Guardian that bars anyone who dares cross the Labyrinth!" The Paradox Brothers struck their poses again.
"Heh heh."
"Ha ha!"
Hikaru and Jaden burst out laughing at the same time.
Seeing that, the Paradox Brothers' high spirits wilted.
The onlookers realized that even this must have been part of the pair's plan.
"A true HERO steps forward without end to protect others, and so does Fusion! I activate the effect of Evil HERO Vicious Claws in my Graveyard!"
"What? What card is that?"
"When did it hit the Graveyard?"
"Last turn, when Jaden sent it."
"What? That isn't even your card, how do you know what it does?"
"A Tag Duel is teamwork, a cooperative Fusion! Of course I checked the Graveyard!" Hikaru declared, waving an arm. "Once per Duel, if a monster I control is destroyed by battle or effect, I can Special Summon this card!"
A dashing fiend emblazoned on the Equip Spell Vicious Claw flashed a confident grin as it leapt into play.
Evil HERO Vicious Claws -- DARK, Fiend, ATK 2500
"It can come back from the Graveyard just because something was destroyed?" Mei was stunned.
"Then why didn't it show up when you destroyed Brave Neos?" Kyuu blurted.
Hikaru snapped his fingers.
He'd never seen this monster before arriving in this world, but he knew the Spell Vicious Claw well.
So when he spotted Jaden milling it, he was startled yet not panicked.
Maybe it had been one of the Supreme King's quirky tools in the original story, he couldn't recall every card.
But its effect happened to be perfect for this moment.
"Simple: Jaden didn't want to waste it back then."
"Vicious Claws triggers when my monster is destroyed. After it Special Summons itself from the Graveyard, if I have a monster in the GY that lists 'Dark Fusion' in its text, I can destroy one card on the field. Jaden's hand and Graveyard didn't have that card at the time.
But the Evil HERO Adusted Gold I added with Shadow Mist is exactly that monster!"
"Crap," Kyuu yelped.
"What's the fuss? They've got the invincible Gate Guardian," a clueless spectator asked.
"Heh, the answer's simple: Gate Guardian Combined can't chain to this effect," Chazz explained from his seat, shaking his head. "First, Vicious Claws' destruction effect doesn't target.
More importantly, the destruction is a bonus condition tacked onto the Special Summon from the Graveyard, so Gate Guardian Combined can't respond."
"Really?"
Chazz's second brother paled.
"Exactly, I use Vicious Claws' effect to destroy your Gate Guardian Combined!"
With a confident flick of its claws, the demon sprang forward, slashing the guardian and sending it crumbling apart.
Vicious Claws single-handedly felled Gate Guardian Combined!
"Amazing."
"Incredible!"
The Paradox Brothers spoke in turn: "Though we're cut off from communicating."
"Your two minds still move as one."
"As duelists, you're top-class!"
"But, never underestimate the keepers of the maze!"
They roared together.
"Effect of Gate Guardian Combined: when this face-up Special Summoned monster leaves the field because of the opponent, I can Special Summon one 'Gate Guardian' monster of Level 11 or lower from my Deck or Extra Deck, ignoring its Summoning conditions!"
"It has another effect?!"
"And it's just like Absolute Zero's!"
Mei surveyed the field, calculating quickly.
"Gate Guardian of Wind and Water, Gate Guardian of Thunder and Wind, and Gate Guardian of Water and Thunder. Gate Guardian of Wind and Water could negate Spell/Trap effects twice per turn but only had 2450 ATK, both Acid and Vicious Claws could crush it in battle.
Gate Guardian of Thunder and Wind could search a Spell/Trap listing all three guardians during its owner's Main Phase, but offered no protection."
So, "I Special Summon Gate Guardian of Water and Thunder from the Extra Deck!"
The wind component burst away from the guardian's body, clashed with Vicious Claws, and exploded.
What remained was a smaller Gate Guardian.
Gate Guardian of Water and Thunder -- Level 9, WATER, Aqua, ATK 2550
"Tough customer," Jaden muttered.
If it could split like that, another body would probably appear once this one was gone.
But a thrilled grin spread across his face.
Now that they knew, they could handle it!
At that moment, the Paradox Brothers felt their old fighting spirit ignite.
Their opponents matched them in perfect sync, a rare and worthy foe!
The fire of a true duelist blazed within them!
"Bring it on, Hikaru, show us what else your duel has!"
Hikaru still held plenty of cards. Everything so far had merely paved the way to topple the combined guardian. The real assault was about to begin!