After winning through his attack, Hikaru walked forward a few steps and picked up Pendulum Machine's card.
The card still bore Pendulum Machine's image, and beyond that, visible black miasma clung to it. Clearly, it had been empowered by Darkness, which explained its swagger.
Hikaru looked around. The cards of its fellow machines were drawn by purple puppet strings, flying into Hikaru's hands. He held them and made a rough estimate.
The total amount didn't seem any less than when he first encountered Atticus Rhodes in his "Darkness" state...
Hikaru's expression grew grave.
In just over a year, Darkness was already providing this much power to expendable probing units.
And that wasn't all. After collecting every card, Hikaru discovered one of them was a Heavy Metal Raiders. Clearly, this card was the true power Darkness had provided. Its energy alone exceeded all the other cards combined. It appeared to be a card Darkness had given these spirits to enable dimensional travel.
What Hikaru had previously obtained from Darkness was Psychic End Punisher, a card clearly designed along the lines of an artificial deity, containing enormous energy.
What Hikaru held now was just scattered small parts by comparison.
Still, now that they were in Hikaru's hands, he would certainly put them to good use.
Just as Hikaru had once used Darkness's power to improve El Shaddoll Winda's completion level, these materials could now be used to attempt crafting cards that had been beyond his reach before.
A profit, all things considered.
Hikaru pocketed the cards and turned back toward the academy. Just then, he heard rustling sounds, and moments later, a figure in a silver-white suit leapt down from a nearby thicket, then glanced sideways and spotted Hikaru.
"Chief?"
He looked mildly surprised mid-air.
"Aster?" Hikaru was equally surprised.
Aster landed, touching down on one knee before slowly rising. A textbook hero entrance.
He brushed the leaves off his suit, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and looked at Hikaru.
Hikaru was about to greet him when flames suddenly erupted beside him. A burly warrior spoke up immediately: "I understand, my lord! This one is definitely..."
"Hold on."
Seeing Flame Swordsman about to strike, Hikaru quickly stopped him.
Flame Swordsman looked confused, but obeying Hikaru's command, he gave Aster a brief apologetic bow, then slowly dissolved into embers.
Tierra's curiosity was piqued.
Even now, she had no idea how Hikaru had instantly distinguished the fake earlier. To her eyes, the previous "Aster Phoenix" and the one standing before them now looked completely identical.
"Heh heh, Chief. Looks like you ran into one too?" Aster saw Flame Swordsman's movements, put two and two together instantly, and guessed what had happened.
"Seems like you did too? What exactly happened?"
Hikaru pressed him for details.
Aster walked forward, explaining with a smile.
He had just arrived at Duel Academy island on his beloved jet ski. He was about to go diving when pitch-black clouds suddenly appeared in the sky, and a transparent barrier enveloped the island. He had quickly gathered his things and headed toward the academy to see what was going on.
That was when he ran into "Hikaru."
In appearance, behavior, and mannerisms, it was indistinguishable from Hikaru in every way.
Initially, Aster hadn't doubted it at all. He had arranged to visit the school today, so Hikaru coming out to meet him in advance wasn't impossible. He had actually been quite moved at first.
But before long, Aster noticed several oddities.
First, that Hikaru wasn't leading him toward Duel Academy. Instead, he was heading toward a secluded corner. When asked whether the academy was in danger, the excuse he gave sounded distinctly like a lie.
Second, although that Hikaru matched the real one in clothing, behavior, and habits almost perfectly, one thing was missing: the card Hikaru always wore on his chest.
Aster would never forget that card.
And while that "Hikaru" wore a card around his neck, it was the wrong one. Dasher had told him so.
From that moment, Aster had his guard up.
After all, even if he couldn't be certain, what if someone really could imitate Hikaru that convincingly?
Sure enough, exactly as he suspected, that "Hikaru" led him to a quiet corner and suddenly attacked, lunging straight at Aster. Fortunately, Aster was already prepared. Protected by Dasher and Dreadmaster, he came to no harm.
Then naturally, they dueled.
After defeating his opponent, Aster figured something unusual was happening at Duel Academy. To be safe, he had been moving through the trees alone.
"Smart. That's you, all right." Hikaru praised him sincerely.
Aster was calm, clever, and attentive. In the original story, aside from D.D. and Echo, very few could make him lose his composure in the short term. No matter how convincing an imitation, the details would never be perfect. Even without having seen "that card," Aster might not have been fooled.
In truth, Hikaru's situation had been similar.
When Flame Swordsman saw Aster, he assumed this was another fake and instinctively moved to attack. But that wasn't the case at all.
Although Hikaru had identified Pendulum Machine through the "name tag" detail, he had actually been conversing with "Pendulum Machine" for quite a while beforehand, carefully observing numerous details.
He had been prepared for betrayal from the start, so he watched especially closely. Even though the fake looked almost identical to Aster, Hikaru still caught several unsettling inconsistencies.
Only after that did he raise the name question, watching for any strange reaction.
And that was only one factor in Hikaru's judgment.
Earlier, when he had called Flame Swordsman to attack Pendulum Machine, he had used his own dueling energy to power the strike. Even if Hikaru had been wrong, any spirit near "Aster" could have easily blocked that level of output.
But just now, Flame Swordsman had appeared on his own initiative without hesitation, using his full power. If he had attacked, the real Aster might have been hurt without preparation.
So nothing could be absolutely guaranteed, and Hikaru couldn't let that happen.
Fortunately, Aster had encountered a similar situation himself, so he understood that Flame Swordsman was protecting Hikaru and bore no ill will over it.
But what followed was an even more serious and intense discussion.
If both he and Hikaru could be imitated so convincingly that nothing seemed off in appearance or behavior, this incident was likely extremely severe.
"How on earth did they pull it off?" Aster's brow furrowed deeply.
A bunch of spirits that might not have even seen him or Hikaru before. How had they impersonated them so convincingly?
"I've been thinking it over." Hikaru gathered his things and led Aster toward the academy building, discussing as they walked. "If they directly copied all our behavior, habits, and appearance, even if it were possible, it would be far too complicated."
Aster nodded.
"So there's probably a more convenient method."
"More convenient?"
"Psychological suggestion."
"Ah, oh! I see."
Through simple physical disguise combined with psychological suggestion, anyone they encountered would instinctively feel the person looked almost identical to the one in their memory. Unless there were glaringly obvious features or traits, the disguise could hold up easily.
And this was precisely what Darkness excelled at most.
Simple, convenient, and efficient. For spirits of varying skill levels, it was an extremely user-friendly disguise.
No need for sophistication. Just show up and it worked.
Hikaru took out a small mirror and checked their reflections. Both he and Aster appeared normal in the glass.
Hikaru genuinely hadn't expected this "Psychological Observation Mirror" would ever come in handy.
And its uses seemed to be growing.
"Who on earth is behind all this?" Aster still had many questions.
Hikaru considered for a moment, then shared the intelligence he had gathered from Zone, explaining as they walked.
The destined extinction of humanity, the ultimate darkness, an "evil spirit born from the fated end of destruction." It all sounded too abstract, too outlandish. But fortunately, Aster was adaptable enough to process the information and express understanding.
On the way to the academy building, they encountered other people. Hikaru tested them with the mirror and, sure enough, some were spirits. The mirror's value just kept rising.
Unsurprisingly, Hikaru was now planning to improve and mass-produce them. Time to make some "Illusion-Breaking Glasses."
Although Hikaru figured these spirits would soon drop their disguises and resort to brute force, every day the glasses could buy was worth it.
With no way of knowing how many spirits had infiltrated the academy island, Hikaru and Aster hurried to the school building and immediately sought out the professors.
At that moment, Professor Crowler was also overwhelmed.
He had tried contacting the outside world, but the entire island was sealed. There was no way to reach anyone beyond.
Left with no choice, he had urgently summoned all teachers and professors to assemble. But even now, they hadn't all arrived. It seemed some professors had even run into trouble!
When he saw Hikaru and Aster, he first breathed a sigh of relief, since Hikaru was unharmed. But immediately after, he let out a shrill shriek of alarm.
What was Aster Phoenix doing at the school?!
From a development standpoint, having Aster at the academy was naturally a positive. A celebrity pro duelist enrolling could generate tremendous publicity if managed properly. Next semester's enrollment numbers would be nothing to worry about.
But right now, if anything happened to Aster Phoenix while at the academy, no amount of media suppression could contain the fallout.
Hikaru felt this was rather excessive worrying.
If even Aster couldn't hold his own, then the academy would have barely anyone left standing, making the concern moot. At least that was how it went in the original story. Once even Aster and Zane fell, how many could possibly remain?
After this interlude, Hikaru and Aster stayed temporarily in the school building, watching as a large group of teachers chattered about the incident.
As Duel Academy teachers and professors, they were no strangers to bizarre events. With the intelligence and details Hikaru provided, they quickly formulated protective measures for the students.
"Dorm heads for the Red, Yellow, and Girls' dorms," Professor Crowler called to the teachers, "from here on, you'll lead teams. Move in groups of three. Make absolutely certain every student has reached their dormitory."
Crowler took a deep breath. "As teachers of our sacred Duel Academy, we must lead by example. Therefore, as the Blue dorm's dorm head, I will also go out to find students."
The teachers acknowledged.
"Vice-Chancellor Bonaparte, if something happens to me..." Crowler then turned to deliver his "final arrangements."
"What are you saying, Acting Principal Crowler?" Bonaparte dabbed cold sweat with a handkerchief. "You're only the acting principal. An acting principal's position can't be succeeded."
"I'm still the principal!"
Crowler and Bonaparte bickered as usual, but this time, Bonaparte clearly showed less hostility than before.
Hikaru felt uneasy. He believed the best approach would be for all teachers to move together, so they could support each other if a crisis erupted. But...
Duel Academy students were naturally restless. After classes ended, some played tennis, some went diving, some trained deep in the mountains, and some slept atop the academy's tall buildings. Those last ones were especially vulnerable.
Because of this, the teachers had to split up to find them. Otherwise, students unfamiliar with others' situations could be ambushed by disguised spirits, with the risk of injury, serious harm, or even unconsciousness far higher than for the more active students.
Still, both Hikaru and Crowler's concerns proved somewhat unnecessary.
After the initial assault, the spirits seemed to gradually withdraw. Or rather...
This first probe was merely an experimental attack. Once the spirits had gauged the students' basic competence and dueling ability, they faded away.
So by the next morning, nearly every student had gathered in front of the school building.
Quite a few had bruises and scrapes on their faces and bodies, clearly having been attacked as well.
Fusion Division members chatted with each other, discussing the previous night's events in animated clusters.
Many wore dejected expressions.
Professor Viper surveyed the students and picked out Dimitri from the crowd.
He looked deeply upset, head hanging low, clearly wracked with guilt. Something must have happened the previous night that hurt his friends or himself.
Everything was proceeding according to Yubel's plan.
Professor Viper couldn't help but sigh.
For a brief moment, he wanted to come up with some other idea, to help his colleagues.
But...
When the image of his son flickered in his eyes, that last shred of hesitation vanished entirely. Only resolve remained.
No matter what, he still wanted to see his son one more time.