In a certain broken dimension.
A boy dressed in military uniform, draped in a wide cloak, with purple hair, walked briskly past a series of incubators with his hands behind his back.
This boy.
The core soldier of the Polymerization Army.
Yuri.
Last time, the Polymerization Army's blitz on Heartland failed, losing a large number of affiliated research institutes and bases. Now, it could barely hang on, yet at the time, Yuri, with his extraordinary reaction speed, managed to capture the person Akaba Leo wanted.
His other daughter, named Kurosaki Ruri.
From the first moment Yuri saw this person, he knew this was the "daughter" the professor wanted to find.
After all, except for the hairstyle, she looked almost identical to Serena, who was here.
Yuri couldn't quite understand why the professor had daughters in different dimensions and why the professor's daughters looked exactly alike. It might be twins, but you wouldn't expect them to be like this.
But it didn't have any significance to him.
A year ago, he also saw Serena, that girl trained in a laboratory to adapt to duels and spirits. At that time, he simply thought the professor valued his daughter, so he was a bit envious.
However, now, seeing the professor attacking one world and capturing a daughter from another, that envy disappeared.
To him, the professor might have other peculiar ideas, but it didn't matter.
He glanced slightly at Ruri who was confined in the incubation chamber, tilted his head for a moment, and then left.
Because of his merits, his status in the Polymerization Army elevated, although he seemed to already be almost beneath none. But now, he could roam freely in the Fusion Army Base.
The Fusion Army's recent emergency retreat released many controlled spirits, leaving it hollow inside with not many guards, and the power of the Three Phantasm was not maintained, making it notably cold.
However, when passing a soldier, he stopped, and looked at that boy: "Wait a moment."
A flash of purple light flared in his eyes but unlike Tenjo Hikari, his gaze was filled with aggressiveness and destructiveness.
Strange purple shadows appeared behind him.
"Y… yes!" That soldier nervously replied.
"You came from the professor, didn't you?"
"Yes!"
"You wouldn't have that interesting power? The one called No.?"
"Um… yes, yes."
That soldier nervously responded.
Numbers.
Yuri smiled dangerously, gently clenching his right hand into a fist before him, coughed lightly, and said soft-spokenly: "So interesting, can you duel with me once?"
"N… no, the professor specifically instructed that my mission is very important, need to quickly recover resources while others are not noticing…" That soldier nervously swallowed.
"Ah~~~ is that so, how uninteresting, then you go ahead~~"
Upon hearing this, the soldier breathed a sigh of relief; despite sweat drenching his back, he dared not show any trace of impatience, bowing twice toward Yuri hurriedly before turning away and fleeing, daring not linger a second longer.
Watching the soldier leave, Yuri smiled while raising his right hand, gently swaying in front him, saying softly: "Take care~~"
Seeing the soldier off, Yuri's smile never faded, he seemed like a robot, wearing an eternally persistent smile.
He lowered his hand, once again tilting his head.
Since last time blitzed Heartland, Yuri noticed something amiss within the Polymerization Army.
But these things don't matter to him.
He just needed a place that made him happy.
But…
He lightly touched his forehead with his right hand, saying: "Lately, always feeling that the professor became strange too."
From childhood, he had been nurtured by the professor, educating him from a young age in dueling and various knowledge, also accepting the ideology of the Polymerization Army.
So initially, he was quite hoping for the professor's approval.
But with the professor's teaching, as time passed, he gradually discovered the professor wasn't as he claimed; his invasion of other dimensions wasn't for the grand cause of dimensional unification, but simply out of ambition.
Ambition was what it was.
It was nothing significant.
All the same anyway.
His confusion was, during this period, the professor's power and ideas seemed to change, becoming more muddled after conversing with the odd fellow from Xyz Dimension.
Destroying other dimensions, then strengthening his own power, ruling more ordinary people, was nothing significant either.
Wanting this, wanting that, too bizarre.
How could there possibly be such a good thing in the world?
That duelist from Xyz Dimension, was simply a boring fellow.
"Boring… too boring."
He showed a trace of disappointment on his face.
The Light Power on him grew ever more imposing, but his own thoughts were unaffected at all.
"After all, have to follow my own ideas to be interesting."
The professor was ultimately outdated, failed once already, lacking in initiative.
He laughed softly twice, turned around, as Light Power spread over his body making his terrifying purple shadow even larger, even scarier.
He figured it out long ago.
No need to make it so complicated.
Just duel, using duels, turning everyone in the world into his friends. Using duels, turning everyone in the world into cards. This way, only himself would remain in the world. This way, no need for any confusion. This way, it'd be interesting.
This is what "Polymerization" really is.
Afterwards, these Light Powers were once more integrated into his body.
He wouldn't give the power to anyone else, he would devour everything entirely.
As for now, first, let's play along with everyone, at least Numbers are interesting.
Days later, light mixed with darkness flowed into a river along with the wind, then surged towards the forest.
Tenjo Hikari shaded his head slightly with his hand, checked the direction.
Two days passed, they had already reached the forest area, encountering some Dark World Archfiends along the way, but they were all swiftly defeated and purified by Tierra, leaving them as materials for other components.
Tenjo Hikari contemplated whether to find the Aromage first and ask about their situation. However, since they had arrived without seeing Aroma Garden fallen, he decided to be straightforward, heading directly towards the cave.
The group landed slowly from the sky, reaching the cave entrance recorded, Tenjo Hikari opened the map and confirmed again.
The cave area was ever-changing.
Tenjo Hikari looked up and could see a small wooden sign beside the cave.
"Looks like this is it."
He beckoned to Serena, and the two headed into the cave; simultaneously, that invisible force also seeped into the cave.