Chapter 529: Real Card! (55k Requesting Monthly Tickets)

"Attack Power 3750!"

"Far exceeding Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

"Oh, no wonder he's a legendary duelist—he looks incredibly strong!"

Several of Wan Wan Zhangmu's relatives who had come to watch the spectacle were struck with awe at the appearance of this monster.

They didn't understand dueling well, but they knew numbers, and they knew that a fusion monster that directly banishes cards from the graveyard to summon itself could never be weak.

When Long Long Qi saw this monster appear, his earlier indifference gradually faded.

He had watched the Maze Brothers' other duels before, and they hadn't used this monster then.

It seems these two realized shame leads to determination—they've made significant changes to their deck.

That might mean… this duel for Tenjo and the others won't be easy.

"Oh oh oh! Has Gate Guardian evolved too!? I didn't know you could directly banish monsters from the graveyard for contact fusion—it's an even deeper level than Neo!"

"Hmph—kid, you're not the only one who can grow in this world." Maze extended a finger and lightly tapped his forehead, then said, "Battle Phase. Use Gate Guardian to attack Brave New World Hero!"

"Brave New World Hero's attack power increases to 3100 because there's one more Hero monster in the graveyard."

"Heh, but Gate Guardian's attack power is still higher!"

On Gate Guardian's body, all three heads charged simultaneously—lightning, storm, and water erupted together, engulfing the armored New World Hero and dragging him deep into the labyrinth.

Tenjo Hikari & Yusei Fudo, LP: 8000 → 7350.

"Heh… End Phase." The Maze Brothers crossed their arms, as if everything were now settled.

"You can't defeat Hikari easily with just one monster on the field," Yusei still said.

"Ha, this isn't just 'one monster,'" Maze politely shook his finger. "Just like your Absolute Zero Hero, Gate Guardian isn't a simple monster."

Like 【Absolute Zero Hero】?

Yusei's pupils shrank sharply.

What did that mean?

Regardless of what hidden meaning it held, it was now Tenjo Hikari's turn—and he finally heard Hikari's voice again. He began speaking, suggesting Hikari use his cards, only to realize Hikari wasn't responding to his voice at all.

"Ha, your teammate is smarter than you," Maze chuckled. "Haven't you figured it out yet? He can't hear your voice."

So that's how it is—

Yusei suddenly understood.

Is this labyrinth's purpose really this?

"How interesting—you want to test our synergy!?" Yusei laughed. "Then you've got it all wrong.

Hikari is a duelist who pursues ultimate fusion, and tag dueling is precisely a duel where teammates fuse their hearts and thoughts together.

Hikari won't make a mistake."

"Ohhh—"

Hearing this, Maze was slightly surprised.

He truly trusts his teammate that much?

Hearing Yusei's words, Wan Wan Zhangmu was taken aback, muttering under his breath, "Did that Yusei just say something so philosophical?"

Long Long Qi couldn't help nodding repeatedly.

This kid actually has some brains—had Wan Wan Zhangmu heard his evaluation, he'd suspect he'd fallen into a parallel world.

Hui Liu Li marveled at how many good companions Tenjo Hikari had—whether it was the senior Wan Wan Zhangmu or this senior Yusei, they both seemed outstanding.

"Did Senior Yusei really say something like that?" Serena, seated among the spectators, murmured to herself. She clearly knew their exact situation—she knew they couldn't communicate now. She'd been worried about their coordination, yet here Yusei was, speaking with such confidence and trust.

"My turn. Draw—"

Tenjo Hikari drew a card, glanced quickly at it, confirmed it wasn't one he needed immediately, then flipped his face-down card: "Reveal face-down card—"

"Reveal face-down card?"

"Oh right, that kid Yusei Fudo did set a card down."

"Why wait until now to use it? What could it be?"

A group of onlookers were thoroughly confused.

"Trap card: Fusion Preparation!" Tenjo Hikari revealed the card.

"Fusion Preparation?" The Maze Brothers were both surprised.

"A trap card that supports fusion? Your teammate clearly trusts you deeply," Gong said.

"Heh, of course—

Fusion Preparation's effect: Show one fusion monster from your Extra Deck to your opponent. That monster's named fusion material from your deck is added to your hand. After that, you may select one 【Fusion】 from your graveyard and add it to your hand.

I reveal from my Extra Deck: Evil Hero Inferno Devil!"

"Evil Hero?"

Hui Liu Li instinctively covered her mouth with her hand—this series was completely unknown in her world.

What's strange about this "E-Hero" series?

"Evil Hero, huh—"

"So Tenjo Hikari's fusion today is also a Hero?"

"But not the Elemental Hero kind."

The crowd watching knew Tenjo Hikari's deck well—they weren't surprised he used any fusion.

"According to Fusion Preparation's effect, I add Evil Hero Inferno Devil from my deck to my hand, then I add the 【Fusion】 from my graveyard to my hand." Tenjo Hikari's dueling field activated automatically—a card flew out of his deck, hovered in the air briefly, then landed in his hand. Simultaneously, from his graveyard, Yusei's 【Fusion】 also appeared in his hand.

"Then, I activate the effect of Phantom Hero Solitary Man! Discard one 【Hero】 from your hand, except this card, to activate. This card is special summoned from your hand!

I discard Evil Hero Inferno Devil, and special summon Solitary Man."

"Phantom Hero!"

"That's the Camera Hero series—"

"Is today really a Hero stage?"

The crowd suddenly erupted into lively discussion.

As one of the most accessible card series in the world, Heroes were extremely famous and common—but only the ordinary Hero cards.

Fusion Heroes, let alone Evil, Phantom, Masked, or even Yusei's "New Space," were rare in this world.

A camera suddenly focused on Tenjo Hikari's field—within the labyrinth, a pink Phantom Hero flickered into view.

"Solitary Man's effect: When this card is summoned or special summoned, activate. Select one 【Phantom Hero】 from your deck and place it on your Spell/Trap Zone as a Continuous Trap. After this effect activates, until the end of your turn, you cannot special summon any non-【Hero】 monsters from your Extra Deck."

"As a Continuous Trap—"

"Ha, similar to Maze Wall Shadow's effect?" The Maze Brothers laughed upon hearing Tenjo Hikari's explanation.

Another camera adjusted its position, projecting a blue image onto Tenjo Hikari's field.

"I place Increment Man as a Continuous Trap on my field. Its effect: During either player's Main Phase, you can tribute one Hero monster on the field. As a Continuous Trap, it can be special summoned."

Tenjo Hikari waved his hand—the pink image vanished, replaced by a blue Hero on the field.

Phantom Hero Increment Man!

"Increment Man's effect: When this card is special summoned from the Spell/Trap Zone, activate. Special summon one 【Phantom Hero】 with 4 stars or less from your deck.

Special summon, Phantom Hero Bionic Man!"

A deep purple mechanical Hero appeared beside the blue one, as if it had always been there.

"Ooooh! So cool! Is this the Phantom Hero!?"

Yusei cheered excitedly.

Though his voice didn't reach Tenjo Hikari, Hikari could easily imagine Yusei's eyes sparkling with gold.

He smiled slightly and said: "When Bionic Man is summoned or special summoned, activate. Send one 【Hero】 from your deck to the graveyard. I send Elemental Hero Shadow Mist Lady from my deck to the graveyard!"

Tenjo Hikari could almost hear Yusei shouting, "You have Shadow Mist too?"—but these cards weren't his alchemy creations; they were gifts from the Phantom Heroes themselves, simply never used before.

"I remember, Shadow Mist Lady's effect is…"

"Correct. When this card is sent to the graveyard, add one Hero from your deck to your hand, except Shadow Mist Lady. I add Evil Hero Dark Star Gold Devil to my hand."

"Then, I discard Dark Star Gold Devil and add Dark God's Call from my deck to my hand." Tenjo Hikari placed the blackened Gold Captain in his hand, then sent it to the graveyard, drawing Dark God's Call from his deck.

"Now, I activate Bionic Man's effect: Once per turn, you can banish one 【Hero】 from your graveyard. Add one 【Fusion】 from your deck to your hand."

"I banish my Shadow Mist Lady and add Swap Fusion from my deck to my hand."

Although called "Swap Fusion," it is treated as a 【Fusion】 in game rules, so it can be retrieved by Bionic Man's effect.

"Retrieving Fusion effects—definitely the kind of monster Tenjo Hikari would use?"

"It seems their talk about fusing spirits in dueling isn't empty words."

Onlookers, including Wan Wan Zhangmu Group's partner companies, all nodded as they saw Tenjo Hikari retrieve his Fusion.

"Alright, preparation's almost done—activate Spell Card: Swap Fusion." Tenjo Hikari picked up the two Phantom Heroes on his field. "This card allows you to use monsters on the field as fusion materials!"

"Heroes hidden in light and illusion—now step forward and pave a new path for us!"

Countless lights focused on Tenjo Hikari's front—a warrior, arms crossed, cloak billowing in the wind, shone brilliantly into view!

Phantom Hero Adorer, Level 8, Dark Attribute, Warrior Type, Attack 2800.

"Phantom Hero fusion? I've seen this before in the GX tournament!"

"Oh oh oh, that's the guy who dueled Tenjo Hikari, right? Phantom Heroes are truly novel."

Another new Hero.

Hui Liu Li watched with great curiosity, eager to see what effect this Phantom Hero had.

Because—

It was a bit embarrassing, but one of her most important friends used a deck called "Phantom" too.

Although it's just one "vision" and one "phantom."

"Once per turn, by targeting 1 Hero monster on my field (other than this card) and 1 monster on your field, you can activate this effect: reduce the ATK and DEF of that monster on your field by the ATK value of my targeted monster!"

Tenjo Hikari pointed to the acid water beside him, then pointed to the Gate Guardian.

The spotlight focused on the two monsters; a massive, acid-water-shaped silhouette glowed upon the Gate Guardian.

"Oh, using this effect directly can instantly reduce the Gate Guardian's ATK by 2600 points—now it's completely safe!"

"Instantly drop a monster's ATK to just over 1000? That's incredible!"

"With this—"

Tenjo Hikari's supporters erupted in cheers at once; Wan Wan Zhangmu's second brother couldn't help but flash a sinister smile.

"Hah—so naive!"

The Labyrinth Brothers spoke almost simultaneously; even though they couldn't hear each other's voices, they shouted in perfect sync: "Too naive!"

"Effect of the Fusion Demon God—Gate Guardian!"

Up to three times per turn: when your opponent activates an effect targeting a card on my field, activate this effect: negate that effect and destroy it!"

"What?" Wan Wan Zhangmu Shandian gasped instantly.

This effect—none of his XYZ can counter it—

"It can be used three times!?" Serena focused on that point.

"Three times negating targeting effects—and across the entire field? That means it can even protect the field environment?"

So troublesome!

Not only does it have 3750 ATK, but it also comes with three layers of protective effects!?

The Gate Guardian's three heads inhaled simultaneously; its illusions vanished instantly, it spun around, glared at the Worshipper, and unleashed a bolt of lightning that shattered his image into fragments—yet even now, his Water Mechanism and Wind Mechanism continued to shield him!

"How's that? This is our invincible protection—the Gate that blocks anyone who dares pass through the Labyrinth!" The Labyrinth Brothers began posing again.

"Heh—"

"Hah!"

Tenjo Hikari and Judai laughed almost simultaneously.

Seeing this, the Labyrinth Brothers' previously soaring spirits instantly wilted.

The spectators watching realized—

This was probably within their expectations all along.

"Heroes, to protect others, must charge forward one after another—fusion is the same; it requires recycling—activate the effect of 'Evil Heart Hero: Evil Claw Demon' from the graveyard!"

"What? What card is that?"

"When was it sent to the graveyard?"

"Ha… it was 【last turn】—the card Judai sent to the graveyard—"

"What? That's not your card—how do you even know its effect?"

"Tag duels are cooperative duels, collaborative fusion—I naturally checked the graveyard in advance!" Tenjo Hikari waved his hand and shouted, "Once per duel: when a monster on your field is destroyed by battle or effect, you can special summon this card!"

A handsome, dashing monster, bearing the image of the Equip Spell "Evil Claw," appeared with a confident grin, swinging its claws.

Evil Heart Hero: Evil Claw Demon, DARK attribute, Fiend type, ATK 2500.

"It can appear from the graveyard if destroyed by battle or effect?" Mi blinked in surprise.

"Then why didn't you summon it directly when Brother destroyed Brave Neo-New Yuxia?" Gong asked instinctively.

Tenjo Hikari snapped his fingers lightly.

Although he had never seen this card before coming to this world, he recognized the Spell "Evil Claw"—so when he saw Judai send one to the graveyard, he was surprised but not shocked.

Maybe it was one of the Ba Wang's weird little gadgets—he couldn't possibly remember every card from the original story; forgetting one was normal.

But—

Its effect was perfect for this situation.

"The reason is simple: at that time, Judai didn't want to 【waste】 its effect."

"When a monster on your field is destroyed by battle or effect, Evil Claw Demon activates: special summon it from the graveyard. Then, if there is a monster in your graveyard with 'Dark Fusion' written in its card text, you can destroy 1 card on the field—Judai's hand and graveyard had no such card.

But the Dark Star Gold Demon I added to my hand via Misty Lady is precisely a monster with 'Dark Fusion' written in its text!"

"Damn—" Gong cried out in alarm.

"Huh? Why's that surprising? You've got the invincible Gate Guardian anyway…" one spectator, unaware of the situation, asked.

"Heh, the answer is simple: the Gate Guardian cannot negate this effect," Shandian sat in his seat, shaking his head as he explained, "First, Evil Claw Demon's effect isn't a targeting effect.

More importantly, Evil Claw Demon's effect is 'special summon from the graveyard'—the destruction that follows is merely an added bonus, not its true effect, so the Gate Guardian cannot respond to it—"

So that's how it is?

Wan Wan Zhangmu's second brother's face twisted with panic.

So that means—

"Exactly! Use Evil Claw Demon's effect to destroy your Gate Guardian!"

The confident demon swung its right claw, leapt forward, and slammed onto the Gate Guardian, staggering it as its body began to disintegrate.

Evil Claw Demon single-handedly destroyed the Gate Guardian!

"Impressive—"

"Amazing!"

The Labyrinth Brothers spoke one after the other: "Even though we're cut off from speaking—"

"You still managed to coordinate perfectly."

"As duelists, you're truly excellent!"

"But—don't underestimate the power of the Labyrinth Gatekeeper!"

They shouted in unison.

"Effect of the Fusion Demon God—Gate Guardian: when this face-up special summoned card leaves the field due to your opponent's action, activate: special summon 1 Level 11 or lower 'Gate Guardian' from your Deck or Extra Deck, ignoring summoning conditions!"

"It still has another effect!?"

"And—it's almost identical to Absolute Zero Knight's effect!"

Mi glanced at the opponent's field and calculated quickly.

The Gate Guardian has three other forms: Water-Thunder, Thunder-Wind, and Wind-Water Demon Gods. Wind-Water can negate the effects of your opponent's Spells and Traps twice per turn, but its ATK is only 2450—it would be destroyed outright by acid water or Evil Claw Demon. Thunder-Wind can add any Spell or Trap with all three Demon Gods' names written on it to your hand during your Main Phase, but has no other defensive ability.

So—

"I special summon: Water-Thunder Demon God—Gate Guardian!"

The Wind God detached from the Gate Guardian's body, struggled fiercely with Evil Claw Demon, then exploded violently, leaving behind a shrunken Gate Guardian.

Water-Thunder Demon God—Gate Guardian, Level 9, WATER attribute, Aqua type, ATK 2550.

"So stubborn…" Judai muttered.

If it can split like this, then after this monster is dealt with, there might be even further split forms to summon!

But—

A delighted smile spread across his face.

Now that he knew, it was easy!

At this moment, the Labyrinth Brothers also felt their long-missed adrenaline surge.

Their opponent matched their "chemistry" perfectly—this was an exceptional rival, rare in the world!

The blood of duelists was calling out to them!

"Come on, Tenjo Hikari—show us what else you've got in your duel!"

Tenjo Hikari still had many cards in hand—until now, he'd only been preparing to eliminate the Fusion Demon God! Now, Tenjo Hikari's true offense begins!

5.5k, first chapter first update. After finishing, the word count might be quite long. The blind date went average—I didn't like the person. Let's talk next time.

Requesting monthly votes, requesting monthly votes~~

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(End of Chapter)