Hikaru gave his left hand a light shake.
In truth, Hikaru had vaguely sensed something strange for a long time.
Although his name was "Amagi Hikaru," for some reason, spirits seemed to default to calling him "Hikari."
Normally, how people addressed each other came down to habit. Some liked calling themselves "Thunder," others called people "bro." Plenty of Fusion Division members called Hikaru things like "Hikaru" or "Chief." Nothing unusual about that.
But spirits were different.
Nearly every spirit that met Hikaru, even after he introduced himself, would call him "Hikari."
Or rather, in a spirit's ears versus a human's ears, Hikaru's name actually sounded "different."
Despite being the same character with the same meaning, neither spirits nor humans present would find anything odd about it. Only Hikaru himself always felt something was off.
As he encountered more spirits, Hikaru grew increasingly sensitive to this. Eventually, after meeting special cases like Yusei Fudo, he gradually pieced together the answer.
The "archetype name" was different.
Yes, using the knowledge of this duelist's world, that seemed to be what was happening.
Although Hikaru was Hikaru, his "name tag" appeared differently to different forms of life.
Perhaps like how "Number 107: Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon" was "Galaxy-Eyes" to the Galaxy-Eyes archetype but "Number 101-107" to the Number series. Or perhaps, like how in the OCG, Winda was called "Midrash," while in the TCG she was called by her actual name "Winda." A difference in the details, in a sense.
In any case, through quiet observation, Hikaru had gradually discovered this fact.
In itself, this discovery had no real significance. If Hikaru hadn't already known from the original story that Darkness was notorious for psychological manipulation, he wouldn't have deliberately used this to test someone's identity.
After all, he couldn't guarantee that anyone he met on the road wasn't a spirit in disguise.
Moreover, there were exceptions. For instance...
Tierra had always called him "Hikaru." So this wasn't a foolproof method of identification, but it was indeed one of Hikaru's tools for distinguishing humans from spirits, one that was almost never wrong and that nobody else knew about.
Hikaru personally felt there might be many strange implications behind this, possibly even connected to why he had come to this world in the first place.
But unfortunately, he had no leads, so for now it could only serve as a simple identification technique.
Pendulum Machine saw Hikaru deploy his Duel Disk. Although it didn't know how it had been exposed, it cackled anyway. The curved blade on its body began to transform, gradually reshaping into a Duel Disk. At the same time, Flame Swordsman's figure slowly faded and merged into Hikaru's Deck.
"You can go first." Hikaru glanced at the surroundings.
Apparently, without realizing it, he had been led to a relatively hidden, pitch-black corner.
"That confident, are we? Hikari." Pendulum Machine sneered for a while, then wasted no time and began drawing.
Pendulum Machine, LP: 4000. Hikaru, LP: 4000.
"My turn. Draw."
Pendulum Machine drew a card from the Deck mounted beneath it and glanced down.
"Come to think of it, you've always been deeply trusted by your subordinates and friends, haven't you? Yet when you actually meet a friend, the first thing you do is suspect them, even going so far as to have a spirit swing a greatsword at them.
Looks like you don't trust your friends as much as the rumors say."
Here it comes.
Hearing these words, Hikaru wasn't angry at all. He actually felt like laughing.
Classic.
A Darkness-style psychological attack.
Hikaru folded his arms, watching the rambling Pendulum Machine with amusement.
Pendulum Machine blathered on for a while, noticed Hikaru showed zero emotional reaction, snorted coldly, then rolled its eyes and came up with a new idea. "As expected of Hikari. Truly resolute.
You're on guard against everything. Truly the vigilance befitting an excellent dimensional traveler.
But...
Do your friends share that mentality?"
Hikaru frowned.
"Your friends trust you completely. They'd believe anything you say. So if someone wearing your face went to deceive your friends... what do you suppose would happen?"
Hikaru's expression darkened slightly. He narrowed his eyes.
"Is that what the master behind you taught you to say?"
"What master behind me?"
"If there weren't some extraordinarily powerful entity backing you, how could a spirit like you disguise yourself as a human, perfectly identical to the real thing?"
"Heh heh heh. Sharp, as expected of you, Hikaru. But I won't be telling you those details." Pendulum Machine snickered twice more, then drew its card and slotted it into the blade on its body.
"I activate the Spell Card: Allure of Darkness. Draw two cards, banish one DARK monster from my hand."
It drew two cards, then tossed out a Blowback Dragon.
"Then, a second Allure of Darkness."
Drew two more, then banished a Pendulum Machine.
"And finally, a third!"
What kind of hand was this?
Tierra couldn't help a snarky comment from the sidelines.
Pendulum Machine drew two more cards, then held up a Barrel Dragon.
Hikaru glanced over without much concern.
"Then, when I have three banished cards, this card can be Special Summoned directly."
Suddenly, a silver-white halo blazed across the sky. A machine flickering with eerie colors slowly emerged from within.
It was a massive fortress. A staggeringly enormous fortress that seemed to stretch endlessly.
"D.D. Assault Carrier."
D.D. Assault Carrier. Level 8, DARK Attribute, Machine-Type. ATK 2500.
"Next, Continuous Spell Cards: Machina Armored Unit and Machina Defense Perimeter, activate!"
Two green cards at once.
"Then, Field Spell: Heavy Metal Raiders!"
Rumble. The ground was gradually encased in pitch-black metal. Countless dark robots emerged from behind it, emitting piercing shrieks as though cackling.
"Ready, everyone? Time to move out together!"
"I Set two cards. Turn end!"
Pendulum Machine sneered.
The two Spell Cards on its field worked as follows: the former let it Special Summon a Machine monster with lower ATK and the same Attribute from the Deck whenever a Machine was destroyed in battle. The latter prevented the opponent from targeting its Level 6 or lower Machine monsters for attacks or effects while it controlled a Level 7 or higher Machine.
Additionally, with the latter on the field, when a Machine monster was destroyed by battle or card effect, it could target a Machine in the Graveyard and add it to the hand.
With just these two cards, it had an endless stream of monsters. And the Field Spell was even better. As long as it remained active, its DARK Machine monsters each couldn't be destroyed by battle once per turn, and gained ATK equal to the battle damage taken.
Most importantly, once per turn, when an original Machine-Type DARK monster was destroyed in battle, it could Special Summon a DARK Machine monster from the hand.
Although there were no monsters in its hand now, combined with its Set Trap "Return from the Different Dimension," it could instantly Special Summon three Machine monsters.
And the other Set card, Limiter Removal, could let Hikaru taste the full might of a machine army during the Battle Phase.
"Using a Field Spell to call your friends, summoning spirits of your own kind?" Hikaru scanned the field and snorted. "But it doesn't look like there are any particularly high-ranking spirits here."
"Those foolish old-timers would never understand me." Pendulum Machine sneered, the massive blade beneath it swinging wildly.
"Our dimension is on the brink of collapse. It could crumble at any moment, and then where would we find time to search for a new home?
Since that lord promised us that if we help him achieve his goal, he'd give us the human world... how could we possibly refuse!"
It cackled. "At a time like this, calculation and machine logic are what hold a species back!"
"Disgusting." Tierra frowned from the side.
Machines she built would never be this lacking in aesthetics!
Spirits really did have too much "free will"!
"Dimensional collapse... that lord promised you? I see. So that's how it is."
Now Hikaru understood.
He had been wondering what Darkness could offer spirits to make them risk their lives, given they weren't even from the same "system."
Now it was clear. There was no need to promise "power" or "benefits."
The human "world" itself was the benefit for spirits with crooked intentions!
So that was it...
No wonder Fräulein and Professor Banner had both warned that dimensional travel was dangerous for humans. As the spirit dimensions collapsed more and more, spirits like this one would only multiply.
"If you understand, then leave this world already, Hikari. With the humans you've got, this world will be overrun by spirits from every dimension sooner or later!" It continued its psychological assault.
"And these spirits aren't ones your humans can handle! Just like me, I easily obtained cards and power far beyond what I had before! The power bestowed by that lord can let me fool you effortlessly. And those weaker than you? They'll be even more helpless!
This world is finished!"
"So you used his power to take on Aster's appearance and try to deceive me? And you could imitate Aster that convincingly?" Hikaru rubbed his chin, looking thoughtfully surprised.
Pendulum Machine didn't respond.
Just as Hikaru wouldn't reveal how he had seen through the disguise, Pendulum Machine wouldn't reveal core details beyond psychological warfare.
"Is that so... I see. And that's your limit, isn't it?" Hikaru narrowed his eyes. "Then let's wrap this duel up. I have a lot to do."
"What?" It almost doubted its own auditory systems.
Pendulum Machine had watched Hikaru's duels. With no extra Special Summoned monsters on its own field, in its estimation, there was no way Hikaru could defeat this setup so easily.
"Ha ha ha, looks like you're getting desperate!"
"Desperate? Hmph. Foolish." Hikaru drew a card sharply, glanced at it.
Heh.
"Perhaps in your eyes, that so-called lord possesses immeasurable power, able to instantly send you into this world and even disguise you as humans without detection.
Perhaps in your eyes, that entity's power can easily make you stronger. But...
Naive. Far too naive. Why don't the elder spirits of your world support this? Why doesn't that so-called lord just annihilate humanity in one stroke?
Simple. Because they all realize it's not that simple!"
If it were truly that easy, why bother with all these schemes?
Precisely because it wasn't simple, they needed to design plots and traps step by step, tricking people, attacking their hearts, until they lost the will to resist!
"But none of that works on me. No matter what you say, it's useless. Because my dueling, my Fusion, will never be swayed by outsiders' words.
Indeed, you're right. I'm always on guard, always vigilant. That's how I saw through your disguise. Perhaps my friends would lower their guard out of trust in me. But one thing will never change.
As long as they truly work alongside me, spend time with me, they will always notice the discrepancies, the details.
Because I am me, and you are merely imitations!
My dueling, my Fusion, they will never mistake it! If you're confident you can conquer this world, this world that belongs to humans, then face this card! Face my Fusion!
I activate the Normal Spell: Fusion Birth!"
This was actually Hikaru's first time using this card normally.
And he had a feeling... this time, it would be very useful.
"I send the top five cards of my Deck to the Graveyard. If there are Fusion Materials among them, I can perform a Fusion directly!" Hikaru picked up the top five cards. "Shaddoll Dragon, Shaddoll Beast, Shaddoll Hedgehog, Shaddoll Falco, Metalfoes Fusion!"
A super mill!
Hikaru hadn't expected to mill this well!
"Fusion Summon! Herald of Tierra, voice of God!
El Shaddoll Winda!"
The green-haired girl made her dashing entrance.
"I activate effects of cards in the Graveyard! Shaddoll Dragon: destroy one Spell/Trap on your field! I destroy your Field Spell! Shaddoll Beast: draw one card! Shaddoll Hedgehog: add Shaddoll Squamata to my hand!"
BOOM!
The Field Spell shattered. The summoned gathering place dissolved instantly, and the spirits that had come to the human world panicked, shrieking.
Because now, they had completely lost their connection to "home." They could never go back.
"I'm not done!" Hikaru drew another card from his hand. "Spell Card: Magicalized Fusion!"
"I banish Winda from the field and four Spellcaster monsters from the Graveyard!"
"Now, begin the ultimate transmutation of the Philosopher's Stone!"
"Awaken the supreme alchemist's Fusion! Activate!"
"Fusion Summon!"
Five Shaddoll monsters flew into the air. Purple puppet strings replaced them entirely, then transformed into five enormous alchemical arrays. As purple light flickered, a phantom of a bespectacled magician in a gray cloak slowly materialized from the five magic circles.
"Level MAX!"
"The supreme alchemist!"
"My mentor!"
"Quintet Magician!"
Quintet Magician. Level 12, DARK Attribute, Spellcaster-Type. ATK 4500.
"Level 12?! Q-Quintet Magician? What kind of monster is that?!" Pendulum Machine shrieked, stumbling backward.
As Quintet Magician touched down, purple and green flames surged behind Hikaru, scorching his surroundings and burning the sky a different color.
"Are you ready to repent?"
"Huh?" "EEEEK!!"
"When Quintet Magician is Fusion Summoned using five Spellcaster monsters with different names: destroy all cards my opponent controls!"
"WHAT?!?!"
Quintet Magician raised his left hand. A green alchemical array began to glow. As his hand moved, everything around the machines started collapsing violently. Nearly all of it was reduced to nothing.
The power Darkness had granted? Destroyed!
The interdimensional warship? Destroyed!
The ambition to occupy the human world...? Destroyed!!
"Eliminate every last one of these malicious spirits! Quintet Magician!"
"Fifth Element: Sabatiel!"
Quintet Magician raised his right hand. Countless alchemical arrays materialized, each locking onto a spirit. They screamed and scattered in every direction, but the arrays clung to them like shadows, inescapable no matter what they tried.
Once every spirit had been targeted, Quintet Magician casually tossed out a "stone."
As the stone flew, iridescent light bloomed across this corner of Duel Academy island. Then, from every direction, the spirits were simultaneously bathed in that radiance.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!!
Countless beams of light pierced through them like bullets.
Some spirits tried to fight back, but under the onslaught of light, they were pierced through one by one, until finally they transformed into cards that fluttered down from the sky like scraps of paper.
"My brothers, my kin, my copies... damn it, damn it!" The most emotional Pendulum Machine thrashed and howled. It swung the massive blade beneath it, desperate to fight Quintet Magician, to avenge them.
However...
BOOM!
Gone without a trace.
Pendulum Machine, LP: 4000 → 0.
...
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