"Assault Mode." Copy Yusei's voice was grave. "This is your strongest hidden trump card besides Shooting Star Dragon right now, isn't it?"
Stardust Dragon/Assault Mode could Tribute itself to negate any Spell, Trap, or Monster effect activation. Though its versatility and ATK were inferior to the Cosmic Blazar, it could be considered a low-end version. Early Synchro decks frequently built around it; once on the field it dominated completely.
Stardust Dragon/Assault Mode + Shooting Star Dragon—this was the strongest lineup Yusei could currently field. It proved he had truly given everything.
"But you know this still isn't enough, right?" Copy Yusei said. "Neither Shooting Star Dragon nor Assault Mode can break this situation."
Even as he spoke, a faint smile appeared on his face—the first expectant smile he had shown in a long time in his own timeline. He was genuinely looking forward to what Yusei would do next, hoping for an unbelievable counter.
Yusei did not disappoint.
"The other card I drew is… Wild Heart!" Yusei declared. "I Normal Summon 'Wild Heart'!" (Anime Card)
A wild warrior with a thick beard appeared, a massive club resting on his shoulder. His appearance was every bit as savage as his name.
[Wild Heart, ATK 1000]
Copy Yusei's eyes widened.
He possessed every memory of Yusei from his own world, including every card Yusei had ever used. The moment this monster appeared, several cards flashed through his mind and connected into a perfect closed-loop combo. Like lightning in darkness, he instantly understood the meaning.
A flash of shock crossed his eyes. "This is…"
"Correct. This is the only combo that can defeat you!" Yusei shouted.
"Battle! Wild Heart attacks!"
With a swing of his arm, Wild Heart charged forward, hammer raised.
Yusei: "Wild Heart's effect—this card can attack directly. But after a successful direct attack, it must destroy itself."
"I see… You really are something."
Copy Yusei closed his eyes with a relieved smile, as if he already knew the ending.
But he still played along. "Then activate Cosmic Blazar Dragon's effect! When the opponent declares an attack, banish itself from the game until the End Phase, negate the attack, and forcibly end the Battle Phase!"
Cosmic Blazar Dragon's body erupted with distorting spacetime ripples. Galaxy-like wings spread wide. Starlight burst from its chest as if rewriting the rules themselves.
Exactly as expected, Yusei spoke at the same instant: "Then—at this moment—Stardust Dragon/Assault Mode's effect activates! Tribute itself to negate the activation of the opponent's Spell, Trap, or Monster effect!
I negate Cosmic Blazar Dragon's effect and destroy it!"
Negate your negation!
Stardust Dragon/Assault Mode's wings bloomed with pure-white light that denied all laws. When the two dragons' powers collided, the entire space seemed to split into a bizarre double mirror—two starfield domains clashing in the void.
The collision point was silent for a thousandth of a second, then erupted in concentric spacetime ripples. Cosmic Blazar Dragon's body began disintegrating into stardust from the edges. The starlights that formed it extinguished one by one, as if forcibly formatted by a higher cosmic law. Finally a glass-shattering crack echoed from within. The entire dragon scattered into hundreds of millions of light particles flying in every direction.
Cosmic Blazar Dragon—destroyed!
Copy Yusei had known acting first would lose the initiative, but he had no choice. The moment Stardust Assault Mode and Wild Heart appeared together, the outcome was already decided.
Yusei Fudo had created a true miracle.
Wild Heart's attack continued through. The massive club struck Copy Yusei's moving Duel Runner squarely.
[Copy Yusei, LP 1700 → 700]
"After Wild Heart performs a direct attack, it must destroy itself," Yusei continued. "But at this moment—Shooting Star Dragon's effect activates!
Shooting Star Dragon can negate and destroy any effect that destroys cards!
Therefore I negate Wild Heart's self-destruct effect and destroy Wild Heart!"
Shooting Star Dragon stopped the self-destruct, then used its own effect to blow Wild Heart to pieces.
At first glance meaningless—but combined with Wild Heart's second effect it became something else entirely.
"Wild Heart's second effect: when this card is destroyed by a card effect other than its own, it can revive from the Graveyard," Yusei declared.
"Therefore—Wild Heart revives from the Graveyard!"
[Wild Heart, ATK 1000]
Wild Heart could direct attack, then self-destruct. Shooting Star Dragon negated the self-destruct and destroyed it—triggering the revival. Because revival occurred during the Battle Phase, the attack reset. Wild Heart could direct attack again… self-destruct again… revive again…
Infinite loop.
Even Z-ONE, watching remotely, smiled faintly.
The fake Z-ONE opposite wore a strange expression.
Yusei Fudo—this man—had exceeded all calculations.
But why?
According to everything he knew, this timeline's Yusei should not yet be this strong. Cards, skill—everything should have been inferior to the current copy.
Why?
"Because he is Yusei Fudo."
As if reading his thoughts, Kira beside him chuckled softly, then added with emphasis:
"…The true Yusei Fudo."
Fake Z-ONE was silent for a moment. "The true Yusei Fudo, huh…"
But the Yusei Fudo he knew had clearly failed.
History told him never to trust Yusei Fudo's power—at least not yet.
Yet everything he had just witnessed seemed to say: perhaps it was time to believe in this man again.
"The revived 'Wild Heart'—once more!" Yusei shouted. "Direct attack!"
Wild Heart let out a deafening roar. Its small frame erupted with power far beyond its size. It dragged a club taller than itself, the hammer head carving sparks across the ground. When it charged, its thick beard exploded like a lion's mane. The arc of the swinging club looked as though it would smash cracks into space itself.
Copy Yusei smiled gently.
"Beautiful… Savior Yusei Fudo."
The instant the club struck the Duel Runner, a ring-shaped shockwave exploded. Copy Yusei's entire body was knocked off trajectory like a battering ram had hit him. The Life Point counter screamed and dropped to zero while Wild Heart held its final pose, hammer still steaming.
[Copy Yusei, LP 0]
…