The Dark – Hex-Sealed Fusion
This monster can substitute for any specifically named Fusion Material when performing a Fusion Summon.
Serena had drawn this card while opening Draw packs for Hikaru, giving it extraordinary significance.
Last year, while Hikaru was fighting the Fusion Army and recovering fragments of the Three Sacred Beasts, this card, together with two other materials, was used in a Fusion that gave birth to Chaos Summoning Beast Armityle.
Since then, Hikaru had devoted himself to mastering extraction techniques, running endless experiments. He had even succeeded once before, extracting Flame spirit core from Flame Swordsman and refining it through Fusion into Ultimate Flame Swordsman.
It could be said that Hikaru's alchemical research for this entire year had centered on recovering this very card from Chaos Phantom Armityle.
And now—
After countless attempts, with his spirit power reaching eight stars and Tierra wielding "Baal," Hikaru finally spent everything he had to draw the card out once more.
"Phew." He exhaled deeply.
He would have to guard this card carefully now.
The good news was that he finally possessed a way to preserve specific monsters, and, on top of that, his control over Super Polymerization had improved dramatically.
He turned toward the ethereal phantom of Armityle, the Chaos Phantom. In the OCG, this monster had been a reinforcement to the later physical card releases, its effect far stronger than the original Armityle the Chaos Phantom. But in the original lore, it was merely one of Armityle's inherent abilities.
For Hikaru, however, this was a true evolution.
To reclaim the "Hex-Sealed Creature," this card had been sublimated through repeated cycles of Alchemy. And now, with Raviel, Lord of Phantasms, successfully integrated, Armityle's fusion materials were now completely legitimate.
He stowed his cards away and looked upward, Tierra was hovering in the air, controlling the flames to retrieve the remnants of their materials.
Even the spirits assisting them couldn't withstand the blast born from Armityle's awakening. Tierra's body was incomplete; several of her puppets and mechanical limbs had been destroyed.
To complete the experiment, Hikaru had consumed vast resources, including materials supplied by the Next Generation and Endymion tribes. The resulting shards, tainted by demonic essence, had become exactly the components Tierra required.
That was why she had permitted him to use them so freely.
Now, with her demons, Tierra gathered the residue.
Starting from "Baal", or rather, from the components required for Adramelech, Lilith, and Naamah above Baal, their crafting no longer relied on ordinary metals. These upper-tier bodies demanded divine or infernal properties of a high order to be forged.
While Tierra herself could provide such essence, the process was painfully slow. With these local demons contributing their own infernal energy, creation became far more efficient.
Still, Tierra watched her frenzied spirits tugging at material with strings of light and sighed.
The next activation of the Great Furnace would have to wait; this explosion had damaged the Workshop more deeply than expected, and repairs would take time.
Until then, new body components would be impossible to attempt.
Stepping out of the smoke-filled hall, Hikaru inhaled fresh air. To his surprise, plant spirits and Next Generation constructs were already reshaping the surrounding environment.
Were they trying to turn this place into a livable world?
He scratched the back of his head, then let the question go.
Opening his Emerald Book, he flipped through its pages.
Having successfully retrieved The Dark – Hex-Sealed Fusion, Hikaru's thoughts felt clearer than ever. If nothing unexpected occurred, it wouldn't be long before he could solve every "Dimensional Coordinate Point" puzzle within the book.
But before that, he had one modification to make.
The book's current power only allowed him to return to the Great Universe Workshop from within Duel Academy.
Convenient, yes, but not enough.
He decided to enhance its spell, expanding its reach so he could return to the Workshop from any human world. That would be far more efficient.
In the nexus dimension, he had always been restricted, unable to explore freely. That limitation had begun to bother him.
Still, the topic was too ambitious to rush.
After all, the voice of the Red Dragon was growing louder by the day.
After two fruitless days of trying, he set the project aside.
There was no hurry; he could improve the Emerald Book later, once he reached the S Dimension.
For now, he and his companions focused on repairing the Workshop. Days passed peacefully until a thunderous dragon's roar split the air. The tool in Hikaru's hand froze mid-motion. In the next heartbeat, the world blurred, and he was standing on an unfamiliar street.
Hikaru turned around and could only sigh helplessly.
The next moment, Tierra suddenly appeared beside him. She glanced around and said in passing, "I turn my head for one second and you're gone. Good thing a Spirit's body can always return into its card at will."
She had been leisurely eating a cup of instant noodles when she realized Hikaru had vanished.
"Where is this place…?" Hikaru looked around, deciding it would be best to find someone to ask for directions.
The Red Dragon was indeed powerful, able to traverse even through time, but its refusal to communicate in any human language was simply absurd.
At that very moment;
Inside the Fusion Department's second-floor workshop at Duel Academy, Serena wore protective goggles and held a fusion torch, carefully sealing the seams of a metallic object before her.
A few minutes later, she brought over a bucket of unknown liquid and poured it gently into a mold. With a hissing "shhh" sound, steam rose and filled the room.
Unlike Hikaru, Serena preferred using stable mechanical tools to experiment with "alchemy."
The Fusion Department workshop had been built by Hikaru with sponsorship from Funglow Corporation. He'd designed it with future students in mind, those who would join the Fusion Department after he graduated. As such, most of the facilities inside were chemistry-oriented, making it easier for newcomers to understand. If nothing else, the place could even serve as a small chemistry hobby lab.
But most Fusion Department students got dizzy just listening to the theory of alchemy. In the end, only Serena had the patience and talent to actually use the equipment.
After working for quite a while, she switched on the ventilation system and began replacing the air inside the room.
Then she carefully removed her safety gear and leaned close to examine her experiment.
As she moved, several small Duel Spirits materialized beside her, crowding around curiously to watch.
" Wow, Serena! I think it worked!" cried the little panda spirit, bouncing with excitement.
Serena smiled, straightened her back, and struck a confident pose, right fist bent and raised beside her shoulder, radiating pride.
After soaking in the atmosphere, she picked up a hand mirror and held it before her face.
Reflected in the liquid-filled tank before her was the image of a young woman, roughly her own age.
But what truly shocked her was that the woman looked exactly like her. Even the same bracelet gleamed on her wrist.
Ever since discovering this phenomenon, Serena had been obsessed with finding the truth.
She remembered what Hikaru once said: The mirror is a tool that reflects one's inner soul. That was why Jaden could see another version of himself within it, because deep down, he carried the soul of the "Supreme King."
Then what about her?
At that time, she had wondered, could she also have some dark alter ego hidden within her heart?
To be honest, she'd even felt a tiny spark of excitement. After all, she'd watched the duel recordings between Jaden and the Ruler of Dark World. When Jaden unleashed the "Supreme King" power, he was ruthless, overwhelming, and undeniably cool.
Serena didn't have many hobbies beyond dueling, and the thought of gaining that kind of strength was tempting.
But the more she thought about it, the more wrong it felt.
That fleeting glimpse she had seen in the mirror, it hadn't looked like another persona at all. It looked like… someone being grown inside a containment pod.
That memory brought back far too many painful thoughts.
Could it be that?
Some kind of psychological trauma? PTSD, perhaps?
Even though she'd spent plenty of time studying alongside the academy's many gifted duelists and kind seniors, everyone there was far from "normal." And Serena herself wasn't exactly top of her class, which only made her imagination run wilder.
After all, she was still a teenage girl, of course she'd overthink things.
But now, everything had come to an end.
She had finally succeeded in creating it.
Of course, it wasn't a replication.
If it were only a matter of replication, Serena thought, she could have just pestered Hikaru for a peek at his dimensional mirror tool.
But the problem was—those mirrors couldn't actually communicate with the heart. She wasn't like Jaden-senpai, blessed with immense spiritual power. No matter how she tried, she couldn't make any connection.
She tried calling out to her reflection, "Hey!"
"Hello?"
"Serena?", but no luck.
Scratching her head, confused, she suddenly had an idea. "Ah!" She brightened up and began tapping on the mirror like knocking on a door.
At first, the girl in the mirror didn't respond. But after several taps, the reflection furrowed her brow as if waking from a deep sleep—like a fairytale princess being roused from an enchanted slumber. After a faint groan, her eyes flew open, and she gasped, coughing weakly.
"Oh!" Serena pumped her fist triumphantly. "It worked!"
"Who are you?! Where am I?!" the Serena in the mirror cried out in fear.
"Where? You're in my workshop," Serena replied.
"Workshop? Why did you kidnap me, wait, you look like… me?"
The reflection's eyes widened in shock and confusion.
"Kidnap?" Serena frowned, puzzled.
She decided it would be better to stay calm and try to befriend this… second self. "What should I call you?" she asked gently. "Do you have a name?"
"Lulu," came the hesitant reply.
"Lulu?" Serena blinked.
'That's such an elegant name. Am I really that refined inside?'
"Lulu" lowered her head, frowning deeply. "I remember… the Heart Garden suddenly exploded. Then a dangerous man who looked just like Yuya appeared in front of me. He raised his Duel Disk and then;"
"What?!" Serena's eyes widened in shock.
No, that couldn't be right, something about this was very wrong!
She suddenly remembered what the Amazoness Sisters had told her outside their camp: 'Your father found his second daughter.'
No way.
Quickly, she grabbed her phone and messaged the Tyler Sisters in their group chat. Gloria ignored her completely, too annoyed to bother, but Grace thought for a moment before replying with the professor's other daughter's name.
To them, it wasn't much of a secret, after all, everyone knew Serena was also the professor's daughter. If Hikaru or the others wanted to know, they could just ask.
"Lulu…" Serena whispered.
Obsidian… Lulu?
Different surname.
But, she looks exactly like me.
'Are we twins?'
Wait, there's also someone in the S Dimension who looks exactly like me!
Her head spun in confusion.
Then she noticed that the reflection, Lulu, had closed her eyes again. Voices began to echo faintly from beyond the mirror:
"How are preparations for our next operation?"
"The nobles of the S Dimension are under pressure from that newly appointed Security Bureau Chief. They'll have no choice but to rely on our strength."
"Heh. This time, with the blessing of the local deity, we'll wash away our previous defeat in blood!"
The voices gradually faded.
Serena clenched her fists tightly.
As the echoes disappeared, Lulu slowly opened her eyes again. She looked at the containment pod before her, and although she seemed surprised by the sudden figure standing outside, she didn't panic.
She lowered her gaze, thinking deeply. Then she said quietly, "I understand now. Those people, they're the ones who attacked the Heart Garden. Their next target must be another world. And they're… capturing humans for experiments."
"Were you captured too? No… you don't look like it. Did you manage to escape on your own?" Lulu asked softly.
"Hmm? Oh...uh, you're pretty sharp," Serena tilted her head with a small, wry smile.
Lulu couldn't help but return it, a gentle curve at the corner of her lips. "If you escaped by yourself, then you're even more impressive."
Though they were the same age, and shared the same face, the difference in their temperaments was clear.
Just as Serena was about to respond, Lulu suddenly tensed. Her eyes fluttered shut, her breathing shallow.
Tap… tap…
"Hm?" A strange voice echoed faintly, a mixture of curiosity, amusement, and something chillingly sinister.
"How odd. Was that girl always standing there?"
A pause. Then a low chuckle. "Heh… doesn't matter. Heheheh…"
Moments later, the owner of the voice shifted, and the faint sound of cards being fanned through the air followed.
Lulu dared to open her eyes slightly, just enough to glimpse through the liquid haze of the containment tank.
A young man with violet hair stood nearby, smirking. In his hand were several Duel Monsters cards, some depicted Fusion Army soldiers, others ordinary humans, and still others showed bizarre, twisted creatures that defied description.
The sight made her blood run cold. She squeezed her eyes shut again, trembling.
"Hmm?" The voice muttered again. "Well, whatever. Let's find something… more interesting."
The air grew quiet again.
On the other side of the mirror, Serena's palms had gone clammy. A chill trickled down her spine. The voice was familiar, too familiar. She'd heard it once before… in one of Hikaru's laboratories.
Only when the voice had completely faded did Lulu exhale shakily, relief flooding her expression.
She glanced around her strange container, despite being submerged in some sort of viscous liquid, she could still breathe normally.
She pressed her palms against the glass, pushing as hard as she could, but it wouldn't budge.
"Ugh."
Lulu let out a long sigh.
It was hopeless; she couldn't break out with her own strength.
But;
She wasn't alone.
"My name's Serena," said Serena gently. "I'll find a way to help you, no matter what."
If the Fusion Army was involved, then this was her responsibility too.
Lulu's chest tightened with warmth.
To think someone would still offer to help her, even across dimensions and danger…
But her relief didn't last. She heard footsteps, voices, orders barked sharply. Quickly, she forced herself to stay still, feigning unconsciousness.
Through the murky fluid, she saw lines of soldiers in dark-blue uniforms moving in formation down a corridor.
They must have been the ones mentioned earlier, the "task force" about to deploy.
The soldiers marched through the testing sector until they reached a massive dimensional gate. Several scientists in white coats were adjusting the energy calibrators nearby.
Standing apart from them was a tall man with blond hair and icy blue eyes, clad in an impeccable black suit. Every motion was polished, deliberate, constantly adjusting his tie and cuffs, as if personal presentation were a matter of sacred ritual.
One of the ranking officers, dressed in ornate attire befitting a noble, tilted his chin upward and asked coolly,
"Can you truly offer us the assistance you claim?"
"Why, of course!" said a slightly balding researcher, rubbing his hands together with a greasy grin. "As long as you're willing to join our grand project, then..."
"Hahaha! Naturally, as long as my status is guaranteed, the lower classes can rot for all I care."
"Oh, what splendid judgment! Excellent! Then, let us cooperate in harmony."
The Fusion Army officer standing beside them raised his arm sharply and barked an order.
"For the prosperity of our multidimensional empire, for the glory of our noble kind, soldiers, advance into the S Dimension and offer your strength!"
"Yes, sir!"
Rows upon rows of soldiers marched forward, stepping through the shimmering Dimensional Gate and vanishing into the light toward the S Dimension.
Meanwhile, Hikaru gazed up at the sky and sipped from a small juice box.
He appeared to be somewhere in the lower city, the Undercity of the S Dimension. Around him, televisions and billboard screens were replaying highlights from a recent duel.
It seemed to be footage from one of the S Dimension's Riding Duels.
While people back home were preoccupied with the GX Championship, this world had already moved on to its own major event, the Fortune Cup.
On the screen, the reigning King of the S Dimension, Jack Atlas, had lost his title match against a slum-born duelist named Yusei Fudo.
From that day forward, Jack was called the "Former King." His origins in the Undercity resurfaced as the hottest gossip across Neo Domino City, fanning the flames of division between the upper and lower sectors.
In response, the Upper City's Security Bureau dispatched officers to purge the slums, ordering residents to clear out so their "dirty presence" wouldn't offend the privileged. Protests erupted. Violence followed.
Even now, Hikaru could see patrol vehicles outside, forcing civilians away from the streets.
The tension between the Upper and Lower Districts had reached a boiling point, and lately, rumors were spreading that a dark god had begun whispering to people in their dreams.
"So that's how it is…" Hikaru murmured under his breath.
But then, he noticed something.
He lifted his left hand. Etched upon his skin was a faint, glowing purple mark.
It wasn't a Fusion sigil. Hikaru instantly recognized that the pattern resembled the Geoglyphs associated with the Earthbound Immortals, the ancient, malevolent deities of this world.
He blinked, stunned.
Before he could analyze it further, several Security vehicles screeched toward him, accelerating instead of stopping.
He dove aside just in time, rolling across the pavement as one car smashed into a wall.
"Hey, kid!" one of the officers shouted, leaping out and slapping on a Duel Disk. "Didn't you hear us? Get the hell out of here!"
The rest followed suit, activating their Duel Disks with synchronized clicks, surrounding Hikaru with glowing disks of crimson light.
...
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