Chapter 417: Start With Me (6k Request for Monthly Tickets)

"Phantom Hero?"

"I've never seen this card before!"

"I didn't expect another new hero to appear."

Inside the Light Society, Lord Zhai Wang and his sister looked at Ai De, who paused to recall and said: "My father once considered designing a Phantom Hero series distinct from the Destiny Heroes, but ultimately chose the Destiny Heroes instead—I never imagined someone would actually use them."

"It's probably something he obtained from another dimension."

At that moment, inside the duel field, Tenjo Hikari asked his opponent a similar question.

Chen Lue nodded slightly and said: "That's right—this Phantom Hero series is exactly what I encountered by accident during my Dimensional Exploration internship."

He looked at the card in his hand, and a strange lightbulb appeared, gently swaying toward Tenjo Hikari.

"Phantom Heroes are heroes hidden in darkness, rescuing those who have strayed or suffered in the night. They can manifest as images and instantly shift forms across different spaces. Thus, they have no fixed base—anywhere with a camera or light source may harbor them, silently guarding ordinary humans and spirits, shielding them from harm."

"That truly is heroic," Tenjo Hikari replied.

"Precisely—they are the unsung heroes who protect the world—"

"Then, in this duel, your sole purpose in using them is surely one thing, isn't it?"

"Of course it is, Tenjo Hikari!" Chen Lue slowly clenched his fist. "Tenjo Hikari, you're a strong contender for the championship—and like me, you're a duelist specializing in Fusion, one who persists in using Fusion despite outside criticism."

"I deeply admire you. That's precisely why the Phantom Heroes deserve to appear—because you are such a worthy opponent."

"The effect of Lone Good: When this card is Normal or Special Summoned, you can place one Phantom Hero monster from your deck, face-up, in your Spell/Trap Zone as a Continuous Trap. After this effect resolves, until the end of your turn, you cannot Special Summon any monster from your Extra Deck that isn't a 【Hero】."

"Come forth, Phantom Hero Incrementer!"

A spotlight descended from the sky and settled quietly onto his Spell/Trap Zone.

"Oh!!"

"Turn a monster into a trap card?"

"How interesting."

Lone Good summoning Incrementer—quite a standard opening.

Tenjo Hikari rubbed his chin, muttering.

He had previously learned that Ai De possessed no Phantom Hero cards; clearly, in this world, Ai De's father had only created Destiny Heroes for him—but given the world's changes, his father might well have made Phantom Heroes too. Yet life and time didn't allow the man to do so, leaving only Destiny.

But whether Destiny or Phantom, both are vital components in any Hero deck.

Especially Lone Good and Incrementer.

"The effect of Incrementer: When this card is used as a Continuous Trap, during either player's Main Phase, you can Tribute one 【Hero】 monster on your field to Special Summon this card."

Boom—

The light from Lone Good extinguished, its image vanishing instantly; meanwhile, the spotlight before Chen Lue turned on, illuminating a shadowy figure.

Phantom Hero Incrementer, Level 3, Dark Attribute, Warrior Type, ATK 900.

"Not done yet—when Incrementer is Special Summoned from the Spell/Trap Zone, its effect activates: Special Summon one 【Phantom Hero】 monster with Level 4 or lower from your deck!"

"Come forth, Bionic Hero!"

This time, a purple light shone onto the field, forming a hero with unmistakable mechanical design.

Phantom Hero Bionic Hero, Level 4, Dark Attribute, Warrior Type, ATK 1000.

"When Bionic Hero is successfully Special Summoned, its effect activates: Send one 【Hero】 monster from your deck to the Graveyard. I choose Elemental Hero Necroshade."

That ended it.

Unfortunately, this friend didn't have Elemental Hero Shadow Mist Lady or Destiny Hero Malicious.

But choosing Necroshade…

"Not over yet—activate Bionic Hero's effect! Once per turn, you can banish one Hero monster from your Graveyard and add one 【Fusion】 card from your deck to your hand!"

"I banish Poison Man—"

He opened his deck and slowly drew one Fusion Spell card into his hand.

"Wow… such novel heroes."

"Hmm… these heroes are incredible."

The audience, witnessing this chain, reacted with astonishment, wonder—each had their own moment of shock.

Judai, who had played dozens of Hero duels recently, saw these cards and for once didn't cheer mindlessly—he quickly analyzed the effects of these cards.

"Wait—sky search for Lone Good, Lone Good pulls Incrementer, Incrementer pulls Bionic… it can almost instantly cycle through all needed Heroes." He rubbed his chin, nodding repeatedly, deeply impressed by how useful these cards were.

Not only could they efficiently deploy several Hero monsters, but they also reliably secured a Fusion card—truly excellent.

If further synergy were added…

"Activate Spell Card: Fusion!" Chen Lue placed his Fusion card onto the Duel Disk. "Then, Tenjo Hikari—let me show you my Fusion!"

"Fusion Summon two Phantom Heroes on the field!"

"Fusion Condition: Two 【Hero】 monsters!"

"What?!"

"Whoa, wait—"

"This Fusion condition?"

Many spectators were startled by this Fusion condition.

Because it wasn't two 【Phantom Heroes】, but two 【Heroes】—meaning Tenjo Hikari could fuse his Blazing Lady and Winged Knight to create the very monster Chen Lue intended to summon!

"Heroes hidden in darkness, protecting the weak!"

"Now, take physical form and receive the cheers you deserve!"

"Fusion Summon—"

"Level 8, Phantom Hero Worshiper!"

All spotlights turned toward one direction, countless beams converging as a masked hero, arms crossed and wrapped in cloth strips, slowly materialized on the field.

Phantom Hero Worshiper, Level 8, Dark Attribute, Warrior Type, ATK 2800.

"ATK 2800!"

"Higher than Iron Knight!"

"I never thought Winged Knight and Blazing Lady could fuse into a monster with this much ATK."

Many spectators marveled.

By now, even viewers who had never used Hero decks understood—Phantom Heroes were truly a perfect fit for any Hero deck.

Everyone had also heard Chen Lue's earlier words.

Judai almost instinctively jumped beneath the camera, waving frantically, trying to "summon" a Phantom Hero spirit.

Not just Judai, but many who revered Heroes and loved Hero decks also kept glancing at every light source and camera they could see.

"Not done yet—the effect of Elemental Hero Necroshade in the Graveyard: Once, while in the Graveyard, you can Normal Summon one 【Elemental Hero】 monster with Level 5 or higher without Tribute! Normal Summon—Elemental Hero Gold Edge!"

Clang—

Blade unfurled as a golden figure flipped up from behind him.

Elemental Hero Gold Edge, Level 7, Earth Attribute, Warrior Type, ATK 2600.

"Another upper-level Hero monster!"

"Wow, Bionic Hero can do this?!"

"Oh oh oh—" Judai, who had been standing beneath the camera, connected the dots and suddenly grinned. "I can Normal Summon Neo Space without Tribute now!"

Tenjo Hikari watched this display and couldn't help nodding.

Overall, it still made sense.

After all, without Masked or Destiny series support, Phantom Heroes could only play like this.

"Tenjo Hikari, I don't know what Fusion tricks you have, but I entered this tournament to win—to make the world understand Phantom Heroes and the people working silently behind the scenes. So I will give it my all!"

"I activate Worshiper's effect! Once per turn, target one face-up monster on your field and one other 【Hero】 monster on my field. Until the end of this turn, the targeted opponent's monster's ATK and DEF decrease by the ATK of my targeted monster!"

Worshiper's light shone onto Iron Magician Knight, casting a phantom silhouette of Gold Edge upon it.

"What?"

"Gold Edge's ATK is 2600—"

"Magician Knight's ATK is 2700!"

"If hit, Magician Knight's ATK drops to 100—then 2600 plus 2800 equals a total of 5400 ATK!"

"If this resolves, Phantom wins!"

One-turn kill?!

Would Tenjo Hikari's first duel end like this—

"Not happening!" Tenjo Hikari suddenly roared. Simultaneously, the mirror-like armor of Magician Knight flashed brilliantly. "Effect of Iron Magician Knight: When a Spell, Trap, or Monster effect targets this card, activate to negate that effect and destroy one card on the field!"

"What?!"

Tenjo Hikari pointed at the opponent, at Worshiper. The next second, Magician Knight hurled its axe, smashing the spotlight with a thunderous crash. Worshiper's form crackled and fizzled, dissolving into pixels and vanishing from the field.

Chen Lue stared, dumbfounded.

"Wow…"

"That's an incredible effect."

"Not only does it have such high ATK, but it also has protection like this?"

Many spectators felt disappointed.

The effect was negated!

If Phantom hadn't aimed for a one-turn kill and simply attacked directly with Worshiper, 2800 ATK clearly outclassed 2700.

Even without a one-turn win, the two monsters alone held clear numerical superiority.

Chen Lue took a slightly deeper breath.

He glanced at his hand cards.

Good—

Although his attack failed, he still had one "Call of the Living Dead" in hand.

Phantom Hero fusion monsters don't have the effect "This card cannot be special summoned except by fusion," so it can be used for battle.

"Cover one card, end your turn."

"Then, my turn, draw."

Tiancheng Guang drew his card and glanced at it.

"Discard 'Evil Heart Hero Dark Star Gold Demon' from hand, add 'Dark Fusion' from deck to hand."

"Then, spell card—Fusion Recovery!"

"Target one fusion and one fusion material used in a fusion summon from your graveyard; add those cards to your hand."

Tiancheng Guang returned "Hot-Blooded Lady" and "Fusion" from his graveyard to his hand.

"Then, spell card—Fusion Soldier." Tiancheng Guang swiftly placed another spell card in his back row. "Show one fusion monster from your extra deck to your opponent; special summon one monster from your extra deck or graveyard that matches one fusion material named on that card."

He opened his extra deck: "Evil Heart Hero Flame Wing Demon, fusion materials: Hot-Blooded Lady and Yu Yi Ren."

"Special summon—Yu Yi Ren!"

"Hah!" The emerald hero shone onto the field.

Elemental Hero Wingman, Level 3, Wind Attribute, Warrior Type, ATK 1000.

"Today, Guang is actually carefully gathering fusion materials and fusion spell cards."

"I thought Guang would just keep using deck fusion."

"He didn't even special summon Flame Swordman with Fusion Soldier!"

A group of students whispered among themselves.

Meanwhile, Judai, Ai De, and the competing duelists watching the match now wore grave expressions.

"Spell card—Fusion!" Tiancheng Guang played the spell card from his hand.

This time, he wasn't using the card given to him by "Light's Fluctuation."

It was another card given to him by his other "big leg" not long ago.

"I fuse 'Hot-Blooded Lady' in hand with 'Yu Yi Ren' on the field!"

"What?"

"Again them?"

Many gasped in surprise.

Chen Lue stared at his opponent in astonishment.

This time he must be fusing something like Flame Wingman to deal damage—

"Fusion condition: two normal monsters!"

"What!?"

"Could it be!"

"Another brand-new fusion!!!"

The audience erupted in unprecedented cheers.

Because Tiancheng Guang seemed to be playing something brand-new with them today!

Using two monsters for multidirectional fusion!

"Fusion summon!"

"Level 9!"

"Primordial Dragon, Ancient Dragon!"

"Roar!!!"

The two monsters merged, then dissolved into an ancient card—a colossal dragon opened its mouth and roared in all directions.

Primordial Dragon, Ancient Dragon, Level 9, Dark Attribute, Dragon Type, ATK 2700.

"This guy," Kai Sa said, eyes gleaming as he watched the screen.

"Sss… another brand-new fusion monster, and made from those two monsters!"

"Heh, this Tiancheng guy," Wan Wan Zhangmu chuckled, shaking his head. "Right in the finals' first move, he can't wait to announce he's back, huh?"

Chen Lue, dueling Tiancheng Guang, sensed his opponent's thoughts and smiled: "So that's it—you've long wanted everyone in the world to know your thoughts, haven't you?"

"I'm already tired of waiting. Because of the Fusion Army, even my schoolmates have been harassed enough. I believe people everywhere have been questioned or suspected just for using fusion."

Tiancheng Guang looked straight at the camera, locking eyes with it—as if his gaze pierced through the lens and connected with countless people across the world.

Whether it was his imagination or not, he even felt the camera was 【watching】 him.

"All duelists of the world!

I, Tiancheng Guang, declare here: fusion is the noblest summoning method. Whether you accept it, whether you like fusion, whether you use fusion—there is one truth that can be acknowledged: fusion is all-encompassing, endlessly variable."

Tiancheng Guang clenched his fist and spoke to all: "Even with identical fusion materials, you can fuse to summon countless radically different heroes. Likewise, those who use fusion are a diverse bunch.

I am a duelist who pursues ultimate fusion—I want to learn every fusion possible, but that has nothing to do with my own 【good or evil】.

Similarly—whether you quietly love fusion, simply want to win with fusion, or purely adore a few fusion monsters—you are all welcome.

I only hope no one will label all fusion users because of the Fusion Army's actions.

If you must slap on labels, start with me—"

In the waiting hall, friends who knew Tiancheng Guang couldn't help gently pressing their foreheads, as if sighing at how he'd just delivered another brilliant speech.

Yet their smiles clearly told everyone: they believed in him—and that's exactly what he'd do!

Chen Lue stared at Tiancheng Guang in surprise.

"Sorry, Chen, today I'm going all out—I'll win with the most dazzling, most decisive victory!"

"Reveal the face-down card—trap card, Soul Fusion!"

"Exclude fusion materials from the graveyard to perform a fusion summon!"

"Again!?"

In Tiancheng Guang's graveyard, there was only…

Yu Yi Ren, Hot-Blooded Lady, and Evil Heart Hero Dark Gold Demon!

"Exclude Yu Yi Ren and Dark Gold Demon from the graveyard—fusion summon!"

"Come forth, light-attribute fusion hero!"

"Elemental Hero Flashman!"

The radiant hero slowly shimmered into view—a hero Judai knew well.

Elemental Hero Flashman, Level 8, Light Attribute, Warrior Type, ATK 2600.

"Whoa, Captain—it's you!"

Gold Captain appeared beside him, nodding as he looked at the "Dark Gold Demon" Judai had given Tiancheng Guang.

That's right.

"Battle phase!"

"The monster summoned by Soul Fusion can't attack, right? If you used normal battle, you might've won—but unfortunately, Tiancheng, I still have one more turn to hold on—

Activate continuous trap card, Call of the Living Dead: revive, hero of the phantom!"

"Phantom Hero Worshipper!"

Worshipper reappeared, radiating confidence.

"Worshipper… heh, yes, normally, with these two monsters holding out, even if you take damage, it doesn't matter—you can revive it from the graveyard using Incrementer's effect, then special summon it again next turn? It's practically endless retrieval."

"You know that too?"

"Of course I do—I'm a duelist devoted to ultimate fusion—so… let me show you my full power!"

"Quick-play spell card—Morphing!"

What's this?

Many were stunned.

Judai, watching the livestream, suddenly gasped: "It's Morphing!?"

"You can activate this by targeting one 【Hero】 fusion monster on your field. Return that monster to your extra deck, then special summon one 【Masked Hero】 monster with the same level but different name from your extra deck as 【Mask Change】."

"Wha… what?" Hearing this brand-new 【Hero】, Chen Lue's speech stumbled.

Likewise, the audience watching the duel erupted in shock.

"Return Flashman to the extra deck, special summon—Masked Hero Light Fang!"

Pppppp—

Countless lights focused on Tiancheng Guang; in flashes of illumination, a hero clad entirely in armor, his face completely hidden, appeared beside him without warning!

Masked Hero Light Fang, Level 8, Light Attribute, Warrior Type, ATK 2500.

"M… Masked!?"

"So—so cool!"

Unlike any hero people had known before, this card had a radically different coolness—and more importantly, it was yet another fusion monster that could be special summoned from the extra deck without 【fusion】!

"That Tiancheng guy—hahaha—" Wan Wan Zhangmu burst out laughing.

"Hah, after using so long a serious fusion strategy, he finally returned to his original fusion tactics," Kai Sa smirked.

This was the Tiancheng Guang they knew.

Comprehensive fusion!

Never be confined to just one type of fusion!

Forever exploring and believing in fusion, the Duelist!

"For each monster on your field, Kōga's ATK increases by 500!"

"Hmm, trouble—"

Kōga, ATK: 2500 → 3500.

Chen Lue quickly ran through possibilities in his mind and barely exhaled in relief.

It's not so bad.

Although he saw different heroes, Chen Lue himself used a hero deck with special heroes—he wouldn't panic so easily.

"Additionally, once per turn, Kōga can banish 1 【Hero】 from the graveyard to target 1 face-up monster on the field; that monster's ATK decreases by the ATK of the banished monster until the end of the turn—this effect can be activated during your opponent's turn!"

"It's just like the Worship effect!"

"Whoa, Phantom and Mask, both masked heroes hiding their identities!"

"Oh no—this changes everything!"

"Banish Hot Lady!" Tiancheng Guang announced as usual.

Kōga's fang weapons on both arms targeted Jin Jin Renxia.

Jin Jin Renxia, ATK: 2600 → 1400.

"Battle! Kōga, attack Jin Jin Renxia!"

Kōga dashed forward several steps, then leaped sharply backward, soaring high and delivering a powerful kick to Jin Jin Renxia with his long legs.

"Boom!"

Chen Lue, LP: 4000 → 1900.

"At this moment, the effects of the Phantom Heroes in the graveyard activate: when I take battle or effect damage, they can be placed on the Spell/Trap Zone as Continuous Trap Cards."

"Increment Man!"

A spotlight descended onto his field.

Though he didn't know if he could use it next turn, he did it anyway.

What if?

What if those two Fusion Monsters on the other side couldn't attack directly?

Tiancheng Guang shook his head slightly.

"Then, Iron Knight, attack Worship Man directly!"

"Huh?"

"What?"

A wave of gasps rose from the audience seats.

"The monster effect of Iron Magician Knight: once per turn, when this card battles an opponent's monster, you can banish 1 Spell Card from your graveyard; this card's ATK increases by half the targeted monster's DEF until the end of the turn!"

"Huh?"

Chen Lue was suddenly startled.

"I banish Fusion Recovery from the graveyard to raise Iron Magician Knight's ATK—half its DEF, which is 800 points!"

Iron Magician Knight, ATK: 2700 → 3500.

He lightly raised his battle axe, sweeping past Worship Man once more; Worship Man's figure vanished like a bubble from the field.

Chen Lue, LP: 1900 → 1200.

"So… I see. Even if I hadn't activated the effect last turn, Worship Man wouldn't have been destroyed in battle by Iron Magician Knight?"

He murmured quietly for a moment, then couldn't help but shake his head.

With such a "pathfinder," Fusion Duelists should be delighted.

Too bad—beating one of the strongest contenders for the championship right from the start is indeed difficult.

"Finally, Ancestor Dragon, attack directly!"

Ancestor Dragon slowly rose, gliding above his opponent, flapping its wings gently and summoning a whirlwind that wiped out Chen Lue's final LP.

"Winner: Tiancheng Guang—"

(End of Chapter)