"Set two cards, end turn!"
Tenjo Hikari looked at his hand, calculating silently.
The discarded cards forced some changes to his original plan, the biggest issue being that he couldn't immediately deal with Crystal this turn.
But that might not be such a bad thing. Judging by the original hand versus the current one, the previous hand wasn't necessarily as stable, and he had drawn an extra card now.
When it was Crystal's turn, he roared and normally summoned a monster.
The crimson gemstone shattered, and a crimson knight emitting black aura emerged from it.
Gem-Knight Tourmaline, LV 4, Earth Attribute, Thunder-Type, ATK 1600.
Crystal pointed to the opposite side, and his monster immediately leapt up, charging towards the Flame Swordsman.
"Activate set card, Salamandra with Chain!" Tenjo Hikari opened the set card without hesitation, "This card can be an Equip Card for a Fire Attribute monster, increasing that monster's ATK by 700 points!"
Flame Swordsman 1800 → 2500.
Though another monster could be set later, direct combat was certainly more decisive.
"Aw!!" The Flame Swordsman switched to a sword with chains, swinging it and knocking the charging Crystal out, amidst painful roars, the knight was sent flying away.
Gem-Knight Crystal, LP: 4000 → 3950.
Hit squarely by the flames, Crystal shook his head; the black aura around him slightly dissipated, but it did not hinder his movements. He turned back, activating a set card.
Trap Card, Fusion of Wasted Stones!
It was the card Tenjo Hikari had "fused" earlier, so he wasn't surprised at all.
This is a Trap Card that can perform Fusion Summon by banishing Gem-Knight cards from the Graveyard.
He banished Crystal and another monster discarded in the first turn to perform fusion.
Two gemstones gathered on Crystal's field, clashing and shattering continually, finally giving birth to a knight with dim colors among the rubble.
A knight with a cape, clad in enormous gauntlets, exuding a formidable presence!
Gem-Knight Zirconia, LV 8, Earth Attribute, Rock-Type, ATK 2900!
The Fusion Materials were "Gem-Knight" and a "Rock-Type" monster!
Far exceeded the current Flame Swordsman.
"Oh no, this can't be blocked—"
"Don't let your knowledge limit your thoughts! I activate the Trap Card, Flame Swordsdance!"
Tenjo Hikari couldn't help but click his tongue when activating this card.
Honestly, this card was the best "fusion" card capable of defense, summon, and endurance in his current deck, but since he first used it in front of Ryu, everyone had been wary of it; thus, the last time he used it, it was only to activate its graveyard effect.
"Can be activated when a monster is Special Summoned. Special Summon a Flame Swordsman or a Fusion Monster with that card name of less than seven stars from the Extra Deck. Thereafter, one face-up monster on the field can be changed to a face-down position!"
"Dark Flare—"
"Yes!" Dark Flare Knight charged forward decisively. With his entry, the surging black flames instantly covered that burly knight.
With two warriors on the field, there was suddenly a sense of gatekeepers, protecting and shielding Tenjo Hikari from harm.
"... Cool ..." The Alchemist finally sighed in admiration, "In this way, when the turn ends, that powerful monster should be destroyed by its own fusion trap... Powerful cards always come with risks, a sure win now."
"Heh... Heh..."
!?
The Alchemist was startled, getting goosebumps all over his body; he looked at the black-aura-emitting knight, utterly not expecting him to be capable of smiling!
No, why does this already insane guy still have the consciousness to laugh?!
The Battle Phase ended, and Crystal slowly drew a card from his hand... Fusion!
The most ordinary fusion!
Originally, the monster summoned via the Fusion of Wasted Stones would be destroyed at the end phase, but even when Crystal lost his consciousness, relying solely on instinct, he was still a formidable warrior!
He sent Zirconia and Tourmaline on the field to the graveyard, and under the thunderstorm, a knight resembling him sevenfold, enshrouded in purple currents and wielding a gun shield, slowly descended.
Gem-Knight Prismaura, LV 7, Earth Attribute, Thunder-Type, ATK 2450.
Another form of Crystal!
He laughed recklessly, pointing at the Flame Swordsman. The Flame Swordsman instinctively pointed at himself, still confused about what had happened, when he saw Crystal discard a card from his hand. Immediately, a massive surge of electricity descended, blasting the Flame Swordsman out of the field in an instant.
"Once per turn, Prismaura can discard 1 Gem-Knight card to the graveyard, targeting one face-up card on the field. That card is destroyed," Tenjo Hikari explained, stroking his chin. "Though he's mindless, he can bypass the card's side effects before they trigger and destroy the field... Quite impressive."
It seems, at least, much stronger than Mitsuzawa, but only a duel with Judai could determine the true strength.
"Flame Swordsman, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, my lord..." The Flame Swordsman's body flickered, becoming somewhat ethereal. It was clear that the black aura accompanying the destructive effect made him uncomfortable.
Fortunately, Tenjo Hikari didn't lose any LP, so he wasn't in any significant trouble.
Tenjo Hikari drew a card from his hand, looking at it, and started to smile—
Things looked dangerous, but Tenjo Hikari hadn't lost any LP.
Now he was in his strongest form—an Ultimate Giant, Tenjo Hikari!
Not even when dueling Judai was he this strong!
"I activate the Field Spell Card, Geartown!" Tenjo Hikari placed the card into the Extra Zone, then the sound of gears rapidly spinning filled the air, like a musical symphony of rotating gears.
"As long as this card is on the field, the tributes required to summon Ancient Gear Monsters for both players are reduced by one. I'll release Dark Flare Knight on the field for a Tribute Summon—Ancient Gear Golem!"
A massive mechanical gear giant, stepping out from Geartown.
"Wow, here it comes!" The Flame Swordsman, who had been nursing his shoulder in pain, saw the mechanical giant and cheered, wrapping his arm around Dark Flare Knight.
Dark Flare Knight nodded in pride.
His lord used him to summon the Ancient Gear Golem. Seeing it again now, it was still incredibly impressive.
"Next, I activate the Spell Card—Antique Gear Fusion!"
"Oh!!" The two warriors fist-pumped in excitement, leaving the Alchemist bewildered and prompting them to boastfully explain the effects to him.
When using the Ancient Gear Golem on the field as Fusion Material for a Fusion Summon, you can use a monster from your deck as Fusion Material!
"Amazing!" The Alchemist, upon understanding, exclaimed in astonishment!
In alchemy, the materials are crucial, but here in this confined space, even the materials was from humans. So, even though he didn't understand card games, he knew clearly that if he could freely use alchemy materials from the Metalfoe Base in this dimension, he could perform experiments extravagantly!
Amidst the exclamations, Tenjo Hikari placed his hands together in front of him to perform the fusion!
"Fusion Summon, Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem!"
A gigantic mechanical being, obscuring the sky, appeared once more in the world; this enclosed, narrow other dimension seemingly couldn't contain the massive machine!
Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem, LV 10, Earth Attribute, Machine-Type, Attack Power 4400.
Tenjo Hikari joyously exclaimed, "Ultimate Giant, attack!"
"Ultimate Heavy Strike!"
"At this moment, I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Duel Fusion!"
"This can only be activated during the attack declaration when one of your Fusion Monsters and your opponent's monster are engaged in battle. That monster gains attack power equal to the attack power of the opponent's battling monster until the end of the Damage Step!"
Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem, Attack Power: 4400→6850!
"6850!!?" The Alchemist's mouth gaped wide open, overwhelmed by shock and a bit bewildered.
As the attack unfolded, amidst the thick dust and smoke, Tenjo Hikari took out Super Polymerization, raising the card.
The Ultimate Giant raised its fist, eyes glinting red, as its colossal fist pierced through the air, growing ever larger. The electric Prismaura attempted to resist but was pulverized in an instant, and the next moment, a black aura surged forth from Crystal's body, facing the giant's attack directly.
Then, it was instantly slammed into the ground. Like a nail driven straight into the earth. The eyes immediately cleared.
As for the black aura wrapped around Crystal, as it seemed ready to dissipate and escape, a powerful suction absorbed it in front of Tenjo Hikari, who grabbed it with a swift gesture.
The card had yet to solidify, with only black dotted lines on its face; it's likely another few matches of defeating 'black aura-infused' Spirits are required to obtain it, but even with just a few sparse letters visible, Tenjo Hikari was already thrilled.
El Shaddoll Winda!
Indeed, there was no other possibility besides her!
It's truly a day of bountiful harvest!