"How do you know unless you try?"
"... What did you say?"
"I said, how do you know unless you try?" Tenjo Hikari continued to smile that same smile he'd had since he arrived, "Maybe this dimension is indeed beyond saving, nearly impossible to rescue.
But before that, why not... give it a try first? What if we succeed? Even if we don't, we can always retreat, just making preparations to exit in advance, right?"
Try.
A simple word.
Yet it's a word that a dimension desperate for salvation dared not speak.
"Then... let me see your fusion!"
"End turn—"
"Then, I'm going to begin!" Tenjo Hikari raised his hand, "During the end phase. Activating the effect of Titaniklad the Ash Dragon!"
Huh?
The spirits heard this card's effect for the first time.
"This is... from Fallen of Albaz..." Saintess Ecclesia knew this card fairly well.
Ah Bu Si scratched his head, before the mix of dimensions, he was notoriously weak in his domain, almost never winning, and although fortunate enough to meet the spirits of Dogmatika Dimension after the blend, he hadn't had the chance to learn much from Ecclesia before the passing spirits devoured him.
Until now, it's his second appearance in front of Ecclesia.
But—
More startling than that is, Lord Hikari chose to search him at this moment?
Even though he was so weak.
"Titaniklad the Ash Dragon can only be activated in the end phase of the turn it's sent to the Graveyard. Add 1 [Dogmatika] Monster or [Fallen of Albaz] from your Deck to your Hand or Special Summon."
"Oh?" The Grand Priest was slightly amazed, "This effect is very useful for searching Fleedliss?"
It's equivalent to nullifying the opponent's Special Summon effects during their turn!
"What I want to search is... Ah Bu Si himself."
Tenjo Hikari's deck automatically shuffled, and a card ejected, which he caught in his hand.
"Then, my turn, draw card — and at this moment, activate the effect of Predaplant Chimerafflesia in the graveyard, when this card is sent to the graveyard, can be activated at the next Preparation Phase. Add 1 Fusion Spell Card from your Deck to your Hand."
"Another search effect for fusion?"
All the spirits looked at Tenjo Hikari's duel with amazement.
"This..." Ah Bu Si was astonished by this scene.
A strategy for searching any fusion!
"Impressive, this is what our lord can do — from the initial hand fusion draw, now our lord can freely control all fusions!" Flame Sword raised his head proudly with honor.
Strategies for freely searching fusions...
"What I want to search is... still that card, Fusion Substitute." Tenjo Hikari smiled, taking out the second Fusion Substitute from his deck.
The spirits on the scene looked at each other.
"Fusion Substitute?" Saintess Ecclesia couldn't help but ask, "Fusion Substitute shares the same name rule with Fusion, you can only have 3 in the deck together, you actually put 3 Fusion Substitutes? Could it be..."
"That's right..." Tenjo Hikari chuckled lightly, "In my entire deck, there's only Fusion Substitute, no regular Fusion!"
Only Fusion Substitute!??
Rather, Tenjo Hikari at this very moment, is just substituting for "Fusion!"
"But Fusion Substitute can only fuse Monsters on the field, where are all these Monsters to fuse?"
"They exist... they will exist. Moreover, it may not necessarily need to be that way."
?
"No matter what Monster you fuse, it doesn't matter." Para continued to repeat, "I already said, as long as I'm on the field, our Dogmatika members will not be affected by your Fusion Monsters.
That's indeed the case... But it's just unaffected by those extra Monster influences, isn't it?"
"What are you saying?"
"Activate the effect of Fusion Substitute in the graveyard, banish it from the graveyard to return 1 Fusion Monster from the graveyard to the Extra Deck, and draw 1 card from your deck, I want to return Titaniklad the Ash Dragon! Draw 1 card from the deck!"
Tenjo Hikari returned Luoyin Dragon to the Extra Deck, then drew a card.
"Next, Normal Summon, LV 4, Fallen of Albaz!"
Ah Bu Si was deeply engrossed, until hearing his own name suddenly, instinctively pointing to himself, then joyously sprang up, running onto the field.
Tattered clothes, a body covered with wounds, and a soul infected by red light, this Ah Bu Si, perhaps is more tragic than the Ah Bu Si in the Original Scripture, after all, the one in the Original Scripture at least had the descent of Ecclesia's support.
But, no matter where, he is the embodiment of perseverance.
Fallen of Albaz, LV 4, Dark Attribute, Dragon-Type, ATK 1800.
Little saintess gleefully waved at him.
Didn't expect to face each other in the same duel.
"Ah Bu Si, with only 1800 ATK, what can he do?"
"Lord Para, of course he can—he is the hope of this world, this dimension, he longs to save this dimension, he wants to separate the mixed spirits, he wants to prove, fusion is not like this.
True fusion should be mutual understanding, not mandatory devouring!"
"Interesting, how are you going to do it?"
"The effect of Fallen of Albaz... When this card is Summoned·Special Summoned, by discarding 1 Hand Card, it can be activated. Using the Monsters on your and the opponent's field containing this card as Fusion Material, Fusion Summon 1 Fusion Monster. At that time, other Monsters on your field cannot be used as Fusion Material. I discard the second Fusion Substitute."