Most of the Blue Dorm students initially supported Ryu out of instinct, loyalty to their own dorm, and the desire to preserve the "prestige" of Obelisk Blue within Duel Academy.
But if this duel kept going the way it was going?
Well, that was another story.
Yes, they were Obelisk Blue students, but they were also members of the Fusion Club, and if the club wanted to stand out during the upcoming Dimensional Exploration Trials, they'd naturally prefer someone who could truly carry the torch of Fusion Supremacy.
Ryu realized that.
He clenched his jaw.
If he won, maybe he could salvage this. If he lost? He'd be out, humiliated, and forgotten.
He wasn't some first-year rookie. He was a second-year duelist, and he'd enhanced his deck with several powerful cards he'd earned through grinding, trading, and sheer survival.
Even if his Fusion Monster got interrupted, he still had three cards in his hand.
"I activate the Field Spell, Gear Town!"
A digital skyline of towering, gear-laden factories surrounded the arena. Sparks flew. The metallic echo of machinery thundered from all sides.
"Gear Town… a field that reduces tribute requirements for Ancient Gear monsters," Hikaru noted aloud. "Planning to bring out an Ancient Gear Beast, senior?"
"You—" Ryu flinched, then gritted his teeth. He revealed a card from his hand. "Exactly! I Normal Summon Ancient Gear Beast, without a tribute!"
A steel-plated, canine-like machine burst out of the Gear Town skyline, snarling with grinding gears for fangs.
[Ancient Gear Beast – Level 6 / EARTH / Machine / 2000 ATK]
"Battle—"
"Wait."
Hikaru's voice cut through the air like a blade.
"I activate my face-down card, Salamandra with Chain
Gasps swept the crowd.
"A new variant?"
"This card has two effects," Hikaru announced clearly. "First, I equip it to a FIRE monster on my field, Flame Swordsman."
Flames surged upward as the trap's holographic effect activated. A chain of fire wrapped around the Flame Swordsman's arm, linking it to the card's burning aura.
"Flame Swordsman gains 700 ATK, rising to 2500!"
[Flame Swordsman – ATK 1800 → 2500]
"And second," he continued, "I target one Effect Monster on the field and flip it into face-down Defense Position."
"What!?"
A massive burning chain snaked across the arena, lashing around Ancient Gear Beast.
With a forceful tug, Flame Swordsman yanked the chain, and the towering mechanical hound slammed to the ground, its card image flipping face-down with a harsh metallic clank.
[Ancient Gear Beast – Set in Defense Position]
"You get it now, right?" Hikaru's voice turned cold. "Fusion Summoning isn't about brute strength. It's about tempo. Setup. Precision."
"Damn it! Damn it!!" Ryu cursed, slamming his fist against his Duel Disk.
He'd never felt this kind of helplessness before.
Not even against upperclassmen.
Only once, when he caught a glimpse of Zane Truesdale, the "Kaiser" of Duel Academy, in action, had he felt something even close to this.
'This kid… is he at Kaiser's level?'
No. Impossible.
Kaiser was the pride of Obelisk Blue. That wasn't something just anyone could touch.
"I end my turn," Ryu growled. His voice was tight, forced. He had one card left in hand. Nothing else to play.
But that didn't matter.
The Labyrinth Tank had 2400 DEF. Ancient Gear Beast had 2000 DEF.
Neither monster would be easily destroyed!
Even if Flame Swordsman had 2500 ATK right now, it didn't matter!
As long as one of his monsters survived the next turn, and he drew Ancient Gear Golem, he could Tribute Summon it!
With a massive 3000 ATK, comparable to Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Ancient Gear Golem was far beyond most ordinary monsters!
"My turn, Draw!"
It was Hikaru's turn.
He glanced at the card he had just drawn and chuckled.
"Senpai, it seems even the cards are displeased with you."
"?"
"Hmm… Though it may not mean much, fulfilling the wishes of my monsters is the least I can do. So, I Normal Summon, Ancient Gear Beast!"
Awooooo!!
"Ah—!"
Seeing a massive mechanical hound, its body formed of ancient gears and steel, appear before him, Ryu visibly flinched, unconsciously taking a step back.
The effect of Geartown allowed both players to Tribute Summon Ancient Gear monsters with one less Tribute, so even Hikaru could summon Ancient Gear Beast without tributes!
"Wait, wasn't his deck supposed to be all Fusions?"
"No… Even in Fusion decks, you still need materials, right?"
"Exactly, and besides…"
Some of the Red and Yellow Dorm students eyed a certain face-down card on the field. They didn't say anything, but their expressions made their thoughts obvious.
This was a world where Duel Spirits existed.
For someone like Ryu, who was outright rejected by his own cards and even beaten down by them, It was nothing unusual.
It was clear that the Ancient Gear monsters were utterly displeased with him!
"Next, I activate Over Future Fusion's effect!
I reveal the Labyrinth Tank and send Giga-Tech Wolf from my Deck to the Graveyard.
Then, I immediately activate Over Future Fusion's second effect!
By banishing monsters from my Graveyard as Fusion Materials, I can Fusion Summon one DARK Machine Fusion Monster!
Fusion Summon, Labyrinth Tank!"
Ruuummbble!
Charging into the battlefield once more, was Labyrinth Tank!
"D-Damn it…"
"Wow, I see now! So Over Future Fusion works like this. Doesn't that mean he can Fusion Summon a Dark Machine monster every two turns? That's insane!"
"He's using the same Tribute and Fusion Monsters, so why does it feel like this guy's deck is way stronger?"
"Cough, cough, don't say that out loud, some of the Blue guys are looking this way!"
Ryu's lackeys shot daggers at the ones talking, but even they had to admit it… their boss really wasn't on Hikaru's level.
"Time to battle." Hikaru shrugged.
"Flame Swordsman, attack Labyrinth Tank! Labyrinth Tank, attack Ancient Gear Beast! And finally, Ancient Gear Beast, attack directly....
Such a shame, if I had Limiter Removal in my deck, this would've been lethal."
Then, with a smile that seemed almost friendly, he added, "Your turn, Senpai."
Ryu's hand trembled as he reached for his deck.
His hand was down to one card, Ancient Gear Engineer.
Completely useless in this situation.
Sure, he still had Geartown on the field, but Hikaru obviously wasn't an idiot. He wouldn't destroy Geartown and let Ryu trigger its second effect.
Was there anything left in his deck that could turn this around?
'There has to be something…'
He drew his next card with a trembling hand.
Then, as soon as he saw it, he felt his whole body go weak.
His knees gave out.
He collapsed onto the ground.
'...'
It was an Ancient Gear Golem.
It was over.
He could already see what would happen to his reputation and standing in the Academy from now on.
His cards slipped from his hands, scattering across the ground.
His Duel Disk automatically registered his defeat.
From a distance, Hikaru took one last look at him and let out a small, amused chuckle.
"Senpai, weren't you looking for a giant monster? Well, here it is. If you don't respect or cherish your cards, they naturally won't respond to you."
Hikaru continued, "Someone like you, do you truly deserve to perform the noble art of Fusion? Your uniform may be purple, but in your heart, you have no unity, no camaraderie, and certainly no Fusion!"
Just then, he felt a warm energy surge within him. He didn't know where it was flowing, but one thing was certain, It was way more than what he got from the entrance test.
At least three or four times as much!
If Flame Swordsman took three to four days to manifest… at this rate, he'd be getting another Fusion Monster by tonight!
Meanwhile, Professor Crowler had made his way over, stopping before Hikaru, he took a deep breath.
"Amaki-kun, your Duel was incredibly refined. Truly astonishing."
"Thank you, Professor."
"Take this card. Keep it well."
Professor Crowler handed him an Ancient Gear Golem.
"This is not just some temporary loan from the Fusion Club. This card… is a gift from me, Vellian Crowler, a true user of the Ancient Gear deck."
"Wha—!"
"Professor?!"
The Fusion Club members, especially the Blue Academy students, all gawked in envy.
The Ancient Gear cards they used were just loaners from the Academy. Once they graduated, they'd have to return them.
But a card personally gifted by Professor Crowler was a lifetime keepsake!
And it was Ancient Gear Golem, a monster rivaling the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!
"Thank you, Professor." Hikaru didn't hesitate one bit.
"I should be the one thanking you."
"Huh?"
"Thank you for showing me through today's duel that framing others really isn't the way to go." Professor Crowler sighed and wiped his tears with a handkerchief.
'Wait... is this related to Jaden? I only approached you, because in my memory you're the highest-ranking professor here.'
Of course, he didn't say it out loud, this was a convenient misunderstanding.
"I'll take this student away. There will be an official report and disciplinary action later. You all can continue your club activities." Crowler, deep in thought, left with the student.
Professor Crowler was actually a good teacher. In the original story, he was someone willing to sacrifice himself to protect his students, so Hikaru was more than happy to build a good relationship with him.
As for the other students, they went back to their own business. Some who had been thinking of challenging Hikaru saw that even an upperclassman had lost and decided not to make fools of themselves. Meanwhile, a few students from the Red and Yellow dorms rushed over to cheer Hikaru on.
After wrapping up his social interactions, Hikaru found a quiet place to sit down and take a proper break.
Ever since earlier, he had been feeling a sense of unease, but couldn't quite figure out where this unease was coming from.
He flipped through his deck, searching for the Ancient Gear Golem he had just obtained.
In this era, this card was still pretty—
"Wait, what the—?!
His eyes widened.
"No, don't!"
Inside his deck, Ancient Gear Beast and Ancient Gear Golem had already stuck together. But it wasn't the kind of sticking caused by moisture or glue, it was slowly merging, gradually turning purple, and, transforming into a Fusion Monster!
Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem!
The two cards... had fused on their own!