After finishing his duel with Kagurazaka, Hikaru Amagi didn't encounter any more particularly strong duelists that day.
That was expected.
After all, any card once used by the King of Games would be irresistibly tempting to average students. No matter how powerful the card, it would always be seen as a way to enhance one's deck.
But on the flip side, those entering this event were either like Hikaru—looking to harvest Fusion materials—or like Kagurazaka, who was trying to "imitate the King of Games," or students whose decks simply weren't strong enough to compete in the usual format.
Students like Zane Truesdale or Jaden Yuki, who ran tightly specialized archetypes, wouldn't bother with a free-for-all like this.
Hikaru did run into quite a few students from the Integration Dorm. Some surrendered the moment they saw him. Others chatted with him, asked for casual duels and advice.
In short, it was a split—extremists and moderates.
Because of Hikaru's rise, even second-year students from Integration Dorm had begun resisting the more aggressive second-year elites. While this conflict wasn't public, it was clear they were starting to fight for their own space and dignity.
Honestly, Hikaru still thought they'd been PUA'd way too hard. Most first-years from Integration Dorm with even a half-functioning brain had already defected to Hikaru's Fusion Dorm.
They all used Ancient Gear decks. They all practiced Fusion summoning. Sure, Fusion Dorm didn't have a cool tower like Integration, but it didn't enforce mandatory group training, didn't bully people, and let everyone just chill and play cards. They even had Asuka Tenjoin singing now and then to lighten the mood. How was that not better than the gloomy boot camp vibe of Integration?
Hikaru had tried to talk sense into them—but instead, they'd doubled down and started calling themselves "rebels" and "reformists" like some teenage revolutionaries.
He was speechless.
Reiji Blackwing rebelled because his world was actually invaded by the Fusion Army. Friends and family turned to cards. He meant it.
But you? You just defected from Integration and joined my Fusion Dorm. That is the revolution. It's over. Congrats.
Still—he couldn't say they were completely in the wrong. At least they had the guts to resist the "privileged class" within their dorm. That took courage.
On the first day of the new semester, Hikaru casually went over his deck again and found an unfamiliar card in his side deck—a pleasant surprise.
"A low-level monster?" Tiella floated out beside him, curious. "Usually that thing gives you Fusion Monsters after a duel, right?"
Hikaru always kept "Super Fusion" under wraps, not letting anyone know it existed. Tiella didn't know exactly what he was hiding, but she'd seen enough duels over the past month to get a feel for how absurdly powerful it was. She'd spent that break watching his duels and learning the rituals of this new age, while Hikaru gave her partial insight.
He didn't mind sharing at that level. It helped her sync better with him.
"Elemental HERO Prisma?" Tiella crossed her arms, studying the card thoughtfully. "Ah… a universal fusion piece? That explains it."
Elemental HERO Prisma—a Level 4 LIGHT Warrior-type Elemental HERO. But what made it special wasn't the typing.
Once per turn, you could reveal a Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck, send one of its named materials from your Deck to the Graveyard, and until the end of the turn, Prisma becomes that card's name.
Before Hikaru transmigrated, this card still had niche uses—like sending Visas to the Graveyard and impersonating him for one-card loops into World Chaos combos.
This card meant a lot to Hikaru. Up to now, he'd long wanted cards like King of the Swamp, Mystical Sheep #1, or Fusion Tag—those versatile monsters usable as any Fusion material. He'd restructured his deck countless times, even fused away all the fodder cards bought through the Fusion Alchemist, but still never found anything like them.
Until now.
Apparently, dueling "himself" could finally earn him this kind of card.
Hikaru thought it through.
Still… that would be tough.
On one hand, just from how polished the card looked, he knew getting it would mean dueling Kagurazaka over and over.
Kagurazaka was strong, no doubt, but not on the level of Jaden or Zane. Spending all his "first duel of the day" chances on Kagurazaka felt like a poor investment.
On the other hand, after several deck revisions and his Spirit Adaptability stat now nearing six stars, his hands almost never bricked anymore. Against most students, he could play whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. "Prisma" was nice—but it wasn't vital anymore.
And besides—Kagurazaka didn't stick to impersonating just one person.
The way he mimicked Hikaru wasn't even that accurate. If he were better at it, maybe he'd cough up a Fusion Tag or King of the Swamp…
Still, it was a solid option.
Over the next few days, Hikaru continued attending class, entering duels, and facing a handful of formidable opponents. With no one like Jaden or Zane standing in his way, he easily claimed the prize card.
Ironically—the strongest duelist he encountered was still Kagurazaka. That surprised him.
At the award ceremony, Hikaru stepped onto the stage amid cheers from the crowd, accepting the prize that Principal Samejima called "a card once wielded by the legendary King of Games."
Buster Blader—the Dragon Slayer himself.
Once used by Yugi Muto to slay even divine-level monsters.
He wasn't as iconic as Dark Magician, nor nearly as rare, and in Yugi's own deck, he was never a major presence—but he was perfect for students. Strong enough to matter, not so strong to get stolen.
A genuinely well-balanced card.
For one, he could fuse with Dark Magician into Dark Paladin. For another, he had his own Fusion form—Buster Blader, the Dragon Destroyer Swordsman, who could force all Dragons to Defense Position and negate their effects. Very practical.
Whatever the form, Hikaru found it useful.
"Nice job, Hikaru!" shouted Jaden, grinning.
"Hikaru-senpai's unbeatable!" one of the Fusion Dorm students yelled.
As he stood under the spotlight, basking in the applause of his classmates, a cluster of masked students in purple uniforms huddled together in hushed conversation.
They watched him with cold smirks.
Hikaru immediately sensed the malice, turned toward them—and found they didn't even bother hiding it.
They stared right back at him with overt hostility.
Fusion Army?
He didn't recognize them. Not at all.
"Hey, Hikaru," Tiella murmured beside him, eyes narrowed with interest. "Those humans over there... they're interesting. I'm sensing a seriously strong dark energy from them—way higher than yours, and you're not even using cards right now."
What!?
Them? Those randoms?
Hikaru's gaze sharpened.
Interesting.
Looks like someone's coming for him.