Chapter 192: I

The duel is over.

Yet, the sky showed no sign of clearing; the surroundings remained foggy, and the unconscious police officers still lay comatose.

Tenjo Hikari turned his gaze toward the Skull Knight and grew alert.

Although he isn't under the Fusion Army, who knows?

What if this Skull Knight is also someone who refuses to accept defeat?

But—

Upon closer thought, Tenjo Hikari realized that this time, he had absolutely no idea why the opponent had suddenly challenged him; before the duel, he had made no agreement whatsoever with this Skull Knight.

Whether it was the lives of these police officers or any other matter, there seemed to be no trace of any prior arrangement.

In other words, he had simply been forced into a duel.

Therefore, he must remain vigilant against his opponent, in case the opponent suddenly attacked.

However, as he looked at the Skull Knight, he noticed something unusual.

The Skull Knight's body was slowly disintegrating.

His bones began to fall away, bone fragments slowly crumbling from his skeletal frame, as if he were about to collapse or even disintegrate entirely.

What's going on?

Tenjo Hikari frowned.

"Interesting… a human from another dimension." The Skull Knight stared at his own hand as it dissolved, watching for a long while before looking up at Tenjo Hikari. "Human from another dimension, it seems you truly are no ordinary duelist."

He doesn't seem to intend to "fight"?

Tenjo Hikari relaxed then.

Still, he didn't understand why this man had come to seek him out.

But he could wait for the other side to explain.

"Human from another dimension, you possess remarkable technology and strength beyond ordinary people—but this world is not as simple as it appears on the surface. You must understand that yourself, don't you?"

He meant that since Tenjo Hikari wielded such dark, evil power and concealed himself among ordinary beings from another dimension, he should also comprehend that similar conditions existed in this world.

Yet, Tenjo Hikari knew the original Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds storyline very well; thus, after hearing these words, he didn't even pause to think—he simply nodded.

"Since you understand, then, human from another dimension, don't interfere with the changes in this world—" His robe dissolved into the wind, revealing the majority of his skeleton already vanished; he did not tell Tenjo Hikari what had happened in this world, nor did he intend to reveal what his "younger brother" planned to do.

In his view, humans from other dimensions were merely transient visitors; once time passed, they would return to their own world, and then everything in this world would have nothing to do with them.

Therefore, not knowing the inner workings of this world, not knowing the grudges between the Red Dragon and the Earthbound Immortals, not knowing that this world endures one cycle after another—this was beneficial for those from other dimensions.

Afterward, the Skull Knight casually flicked his hand, and with a soft *whoosh*, two cards flew toward him; Tenjo Hikari instinctively caught them and glanced down at their designs.

Phantom Synchro… and the Netherworld Dragon!

What's going on?

When he turned back, the Skull Knight's body had completely vanished, leaving only a slowly, gently moving lower jaw.

"Human, I give you my final trace, my last shred of humanity— I believe you, as the Absolute Fusionist, will not let it be tarnished." With that, the Skull Knight's figure vanished entirely, leaving behind only a "d-horse" (Note 1) without a master, which let out a long, piercing neigh before galloping away like the wind.

The aura of darkness and death gradually faded. Tenjo Hikari stood in place, staring blankly at the cards in his hand, then raised his head and exchanged a glance with Tierra—both silent, bewildered.

After a while, Tenjo Hikari heard the groans of the police officers—he guessed they were about to awaken—and at that moment, Tierra rubbed her chin, piecing it together: "Is it like this, Tenjo Hikari?

Because you're a duelist who seeks fusion, this man's ace was a fusion monster despised in the Xyz Dimension, and because of the Ying Yi power, he assumed you were similar to him in life—so he passed on his final strength to you?"

"It sounds plausible." Logically and experientially, it seemed to fit.

"Hahaha, you'd better thank me well, Tenjo Hikari—otherwise, you wouldn't have gotten such a… hmm… pretty powerful card so easily." She was speaking from the perspective of "power."

Though not a complete form, her personally controlled Satan was no longer some minor spirit; and this Netherworld Dragon had actually held its own against her Satan in a direct clash—its spiritual rank was clearly high.

Tenjo Hikari knew she was right.

After all, this was the Red Dragon's "Duel Dragon!"

Although in Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds, spirits had little presence—only one Dragon could see Duel Monster spirits—it didn't mean spirits didn't exist in this world. In fact, all the protagonists' dragons possessed spirits. Even more—this world had "Three Supreme Gods," divine monsters identical in nature and type to the Three Sacred Beasts!

That's the status of the Duel Dragon.

Because any Duel Dragon can potentially tap into the most powerful "god" in this world—the God of Synchro, the Red Dragon who controls time and traverses space!

Although the Netherworld Dragon is a fusion monster, it does possess a complete Synchro form; even if he himself might not be able to use it, its core power was already immense.

Combined with his own performance and Tierra's, this card felt remarkably "harmonious"—it had fully accepted its new master, because its new master was the one chosen by its former owner: a fusion duelist wielding Death-affiliated power.

This was a duelist who perfectly met its requirements.

He hadn't expected that after arriving in another dimension, he'd not only meet Yusei, Yusei, and Rin—but also receive such an unexpected gift!

"Once you gather the materials, I'll help you create your next Infernoid." Tenjo Hikari didn't forget Tierra's help.

Though now it seemed Tierra's assistance was likely minimal—she had observed him long ago—so whether she was present or not probably wouldn't change the final outcome, only the timing of its realization.

But Tenjo Hikari wasn't that stingy a person.

"Hahaha, I really admire this about you~~" Tierra knew her claim to credit was weak, so upon hearing Tenjo Hikari's courteous reply, she couldn't help laughing.

Fundamentally, this might be the "reciprocity" of their recent good cooperation—both she and Tenjo Hikari understood that.

First chapter update, please vote~

Note 1: Let me clarify the "d-horse" concept—it's not my invention. It exists in the 5Ds manga, roughly similar to a D-Ride… maybe… even though it's a horse.

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(End of Chapter)