Fusion is the noblest form of summoning!

“Fusion is the noblest way of summoning?”

“I've heard that slogan before—”

“Isn't that the Fusion Army?”

“Eh!? Eh!?”

The audience had various reactions upon hearing Tenjoin Hikari's declaration.

Some recalled Tenjoin Hikari's outstanding performances in the X and S Dimensions, while others worried about the Fusion Army.

Overall, however, the nearby audience did not boo.

After all, the audience here were either students or spirits.

Even so, most people who heard this slogan would not doubt Tenjoin Hikari.

The reason is simple: they are too far removed from the Fusion Army and the war of aggression. The students feared and doubted Tenjoin Hikari during that time because the Fusion Army was present in their schools. They knew the Fusion Army's nature and what kind of people they were, so they doubted Tenjoin Hikari.

Therefore, they were quite suspicious or hostile towards Tenjoin Hikari at the beginning of the crisis.

Of course, precisely because they were close and knew the Fusion Army's nature, they quickly understood, during this period and under the Dark World's invasion, in duel after duel, that Tenjoin Hikari was definitely not one of them.

In contrast—ordinary people further away from the students and duelists could not change so quickly.

However, Tenjoin Hikari didn't mind.

He simply drew his hand cards as usual.

Looking at the cards in his hand, Tenjoin Hikari gently stroked his chin.

After thinking for a moment, he activated his card: “Magic Card, Fusion.”

Tenjoin Hikari's first duel featured a classic and familiar magic card—

Fusion!

One of the most famous magic cards in this world, one of the most common magic cards, and also the most promoted magic card in the past year.

Because of this card, people in this dimension did not feel particularly embarrassed when communicating with the other two dimensions. Because of this card, many people realized their dreams in the past.

But—

Precisely because of this card, because of [Fusion], because of the Fusion Army's acts of aggression, this world has been shrouded in shadow for the past few months, causing countless duelists to change and many ordinary duelists to abandon their beloved cards.

It is the beginning and the foundation.

“I will fuse Elemental Hero Winged Kuriboh with Elemental Hero Burst Lady from my hand!”

Winged Kuriboh and Burst Lady?

The audience watching the duel was immediately intrigued.

These two cards are very famous—although their stats are average, as cards from the popular HERO deck, they are highly recognizable, and the Flame Wingman they fuse into is also very popular in this dimension.

“Burst Lady and Winged Kuriboh, he's definitely fusing into Flame Wingman!” Judai, who was watching the match, jumped up excitedly and shouted to Kenzan and Sho beside him.

The two of them had been accompanying Judai during this time and didn't participate in the finals. Now they were watching the finals together. Seeing this card appear, they immediately became interested.

“No, Aniki, maybe it's Phoenix Enforcer—” Kenzan joked.

“Impossible, absolutely impossible! At worst, it'll be Infernal Flame Wing!”

“No, Aniki, this is a normal Fusion!” Sho sweated slightly.

At the same time, Ed and the Saiou siblings, who were also watching the live broadcast in the Tower of Light, said similar things. Ed was very sure that fusing these two monsters in the first turn would make Phoenix Enforcer more useful—after all, Phoenix Enforcer can't be destroyed by battle!

“It can't be Great Tornado or Nova Master, right?”

The two HERO duelists thought at the same time.

“As expected of Tenjoin Hikari, even though the outside world is so hostile to Fusion, you still dare to use Fusion as usual—so, what are you going to fuse?” Chen Lue, his opponent, was immediately intrigued when he saw Tenjoin Hikari use this card. “As far as I know, Winged Kuriboh and Burst Lady have several different fusion products, right?

So, are you going to…”

“Heh…” Tenjoin Hikari suddenly slowly raised his right hand, extending two fingers, “The fusion condition is: two Warrior-Type monsters with different Attributes!”

What?

Chen Lue was slightly stunned.

“Two Warrior-Type monsters with different Attributes!?”

“Not HEROES—”

Similar exclamations arose around the world.

Neither Dragon Man nor Phoenix Enforcer—

“Fusion Summon, the steel warrior who wields the axe—”

“Level 8, Arcana Knight Joker!”

Accompanied by Tenjoin Hikari's call, a figure wearing heavy armor and a blue cloak gently landed in front of Tenjoin Hikari. It wore a mask, obscuring its true appearance, but the axe in its hand had already declared its strength!

Arcana Knight Joker, LIGHT Attribute, Level 8, Warrior-Type, Attack Power 2700.

“Wow!?”

“A different Fusion Monster? Never seen it before!”

“I thought those two monsters could only fuse into Flame Wingman.”

Despite having seen many things they had never seen before, the audience became even more enthusiastic when they saw Tenjoin Hikari perform something they had never seen before.

This competition is so novel and so extraordinary!

“Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!” Judai jumped up excitedly when he saw this. “Winged Kuriboh, you can fuse into this too? Why didn't you ever tell me—”

Winged Kuriboh was sweating.

You ask it, it doesn't know either?

Tenjoin Hikari looked at the cards in his hand and smiled gently. This card was one of the many LIGHT Attribute Fusion Monsters given by the Wave of Light. Whether it was the fusion conditions, the basic attributes, or the effects, it was useful in this world, so Tenjoin Hikari liked it quite a bit.

“Arcana Knight… is that the evolution of the Level 5 Fusion Monster Arcana Knight? I didn't expect you to use this besides Flame Swordsman.” As a duelist who could participate in the competition, Chen Lue naturally wouldn't be completely ignorant of these things.

Arcana Knight and Flame Swordsman were both cards used by the legendary duelist Jonouchi Katsuya, and they were quite famous.

“Even with the same fusion materials, there can be different fusion results. That's Fusion.” Tenjoin Hikari said softly, while casually setting a card on the field: “Set a card, end turn.”

“As expected of Tenjoin Hikari, a duelist dedicated to the ultimate in Fusion.” Chen Lue nodded slightly, and couldn't help but sigh, “It seems so great to be your opponent in the first round.”

?

Chen Lue drew a card.

He looked at the card in his hand and couldn't help but narrow his eyes.

“Fusion is a constantly changing tactic. Some people haven't even mastered our own things before they rush to learn things from other dimensions, and even simply denigrate and criticize our own things.

It doesn't matter what the Fusion Army does. For duelists, it's ridiculous to change their understanding of a summoning method simply because of public opinion.”

“It's great to be your opponent, so I don't have to worry about society or public opinion at all.”

He raised a card, and in front of him, a strange lamp suddenly fell, then lit up with a crash, shining on the monster zone.

This effect?

Tenjoin Hikari raised an eyebrow.

“Discarding Phantom HERO Poison, Special Summon, Phantom HERO Solo!”

Solo!

Accompanied by Chen Lue's declaration, the light illuminated a phantom, a pink HERO, appearing in the darkness!

Phantom HERO Solo, Level 5, DARK Attribute, Warrior-Type, Attack Power 1600.

Phantom HERO!