"End of turn."
"At this moment, the effect of the Fusion Recycling Plant activates. I add one Fusion Material from my Graveyard back to hand. I retrieve Black Luster Soldier."
"Damn you... Even now, when I've already been humiliated this badly, you have to make everyone watch me suffer. You're disgusting, kid." Weevil, struck down by Master of Chaos's blade, flew backwards and landed in a pile of trash, muttering bitterly.
"Think about your own actions." Hikaru had no intention of continuing this conversation.
They'd talked enough before the duel. He had no interest in repeating it.
All he had on his mind was;
"Damn... damn... damn... DAMN!! My turn!! Draw!!"
Weevil practically leapt up, crazed, slamming his drawn card into the Duel Disk without even looking.
"Pot of Greed! I draw two cards!!"
He pulled two more.
"Activate Continuous Spell, Insect Invitation! As long as this is on the field, all monsters the opponent controls that weren't summoned this turn become Insect-Type!"
He slammed the card into the Duel Disk.
Rex Raptor, watching the stream, instantly sat bolt upright.
With the Spell's activation, the armor of Master of Chaos twisted into something like a carapace. His features sharpened, though his form remained otherwise intact.
"Not done yet! I activate Spell, Insect Barrier!
As long as this card's on the field, your Insect monsters cannot declare an attack!"
Weevil rapidly slapped more cards down.
"Doesn't matter how strong your monster is. If it can't attack, it's useless!"
"Lastly, I Set a monster in Defense, Pinch Hopper!"
[Pinch Hopper]
Level 4 │ EARTH │ Insect │ 1200 DEF
"Heh... heh... hah..." Sweat poured from his body and forehead like he'd just been pulled out of boiling water. He looked like a drowned rat.
Pinch Hopper had an effect. When sent to the Graveyard, it could Special Summon an Insect from the hand.
As long as he survived this, he could summon a high-Level Insect from hand and stay in the fight.
He wouldn't lose.
No matter what.
Even if he lost... even if he lost... it was still to Dark Magician. It was Dark Magician.
"See?! This is my Insect Lockdown combo!!"
At last, Hikaru's interest perked up slightly.
Or rather, he was finally ready.
Looking down at his hand, he spoke calmly:
"Weevil... the card I'm holding now... is the same card Rex Raptor drew during his duel against you."
"What?"
Weevil blinked.
"You... No... Don't tell me..."
"It was several turns of trading blows, exhausting both sides' resources. Then you switched to defense," Hikaru recalled watching the footage.
At the same time, Rex, watching the stream, also remembered.
Their duel hadn't been short. It went on for multiple turns.
Wounded beforehand, Rex was struggling more and more.
Just as he felt both victory and collapse within reach, Weevil changed tactics to full defense.
By changing Types, using Special Summons, and endlessly swarming more Insects, he slowly chewed Rex down...
And stalled for time.
At that final, critical moment, Rex had drawn that card, the card that had been with him for over a decade.
The card that symbolized his mistake.
The very card he once used in the Orichalcos Incident.
But his right hand had gone numb after such a long duel. He dropped the card and lost.
"My turn. Draw." Hikaru glanced at the card, smirked, and casually flipped it, holding it face-down on his right hand before sliding it into the Duel Disk.
"I am the Absolute Fusion Duelist."
"The power of my friends, my classmates, my teachers, it all strengthens my Fusion."
"Because this is Fusion."
"And now, you filthy bug, let me show you why you're a legendary piece of trash, and why Rex Raptor is now a legendary Duelist."
"Normal Summon, Kaitoptera!"
"Aaaaahhhh!!" Weevil was already screaming before Hikaru even declared his attack.
"No! No no no. NOT THAT ONE!!"
[Kaitoptera]
Level 4 │ WIND │ Dinosaur │ 1400 ATK
Rex Raptor's card. His former ace.
After becoming the representative Duelist for Funglow Corp, Rex worked hard to rebuild his image and sharpen his skills. He even earned a spot in KaibaCorp's Duelist Journey program, gaining powerful Jurassic cards from another dimension.
But he never forgot these original cards.
Just as now, he still used a few of his old low-Level monsters.
And this card had since evolved.
A simple, unadorned pterosaur screeched at the sky, venting its anger, frustrated it hadn't appeared sooner.
"This monster's effect! Once per turn, add Polymerization from Deck to hand!"
"I add my third Polymerization, the one I never drew before!"
No need for the Field Spell.
No need to discard.
Just straight into hand.
"Next, activate Spell, Polymerization!"
"No... no... NO!!" Weevil shrank back in horror as Hikaru slid the card into the Duel Disk, tumbling backward into piles of garbage.
At this moment, he looked like the same scrawny kid from the past.
And Hikaru was the taller, stronger one.
"I fuse Kaitoptera with Curse of Dragon from my hand."
"A symbol of the ancient Dinosaur Duelist shines once again."
"Crawl back from hell."
"Show us your new form."
Rex couldn't help but lean back, exhaling deeply with a smile.
Farewell...
My friend.
Farewell...
To the past.
"Fusion Summon!!"
"Level 6, Horned Saurus!"
KRAAAHHH!!
A jet-black, patternless, primitive dinosaur flew in, circling the air. Though it hadn't attacked yet, it bared its teeth at Weevil, snapping viciously.
[Horned Saurus]
Level 6 │ DARK │ Dinosaur │ 2000 ATK
"Ohh, this effect's solid. Perfect for someone who didn't draw Fusion Recycling Plant." Tierra leaned in to check the card.
On Fusion Summon, it could search or recover a Field Spell, hugely valuable for Hikaru. Whether it was Fusion Gate or Fusion Recycling Plant, either was perfect.
Hikaru nodded. "Ready?"
"Don't worry. He's just a soul-damaged mortal without a Duel Spirit." Tierra waved dismissively.
"Then..." Hikaru raised Horned Saurus.
"It can attack directly! And since it was Fusion Summoned this turn, it won't be affected by Insect Invitation, turning it into an Insect!"
Weevil practically tried to fuse with the garbage, desperately trying to vanish, unwilling to take this direct hit.
Because this was it.
The moment he lost his last shred of superiority over Rex Raptor.
Not just jealousy.
But his final scrap of dignity.
"Horned Saurus, Direct Attack!!"
It leaped skyward, transforming into a piercing blade, diving straight for Weevil.
Purple puppet strings coiled around its body, turning it into a violet meteor.
BOOM!!
The crash sent trash and scrap metal flying into the air, as though declaring something to the world;
That this legendary Duelist was now buried beneath garbage.
[Weevil, LP: 1000 → 0]