"Install this one too, alright, done."
Two days later.
Inside the brand-new Fusion Club activity room, Hikaru had successfully constructed the "Amaki Hikaru Prototype Dimensional Gate No.73."
"So... what happened to the first 72?"
"Irrelevant. What matters is the mysterious naming vibe. It makes me seem like a crazy alchemist."
"But you are a crazy alchemist right now."
Tierra and Hikaru exchanged idle banter.
This was technically the Club President's office, though calling it that was underselling it.
In just one day, the Fusion Club had expanded from a modest two or three-story building to a massive six-story complex that could rival the Polymerization Club's tower across the campus. Every room and facility was upgraded. Funglow Corp spared no expense, providing the latest equipment and even installing a top-notch 3D theater in the main hall that looped classic duels of the "Founders."
Duel highlights like Amaki Hikaru vs. Dimensional Invader No.1 & 2, Hikaru vs. the legendary duelist Rex Raptor (twice), Jaden Yuki vs. Dimensional Police, or Chazz Princeton summoning a dragon to repel a mechanical army...
Forget whether the duels were strategically complex; just look at the sheer spectacle.
Especially Hikaru's duel against Rex. Absolute banger. Literal explosions.
Incidentally, this hall was also one of the test locations for the GG commercial, the ad where the Fusion Hermit traveled seeking the ultimate form of fusion, eventually meeting the Magical Scientist and discovering the legendary Ready Fusion instant noodles.
Classic Japanese-style exaggerated nonsense.
Hikaru hated filming it. Watching it was worse. Watching it with others? Pure torture.
Especially with Jaden sitting next to him, shouting, "Whoa! So cool!" the entire time.
So, after checking the ad to confirm nothing problematic slipped through, Hikaru promptly turned his attention back to building the Dimensional Gate.
Every aspect of the Fusion Club was now benchmarked against the Polymerization Club, and some facilities were even newer. Only one thing still fell short, the Dimensional Gate.
And that was what Hikaru was fixing now.
Of course, building a Dimensional Gate on Earth wasn't easy. Without the Philosopher's Stone from the Grand Universe Workshop as an energy core, it was nearly impossible. Thankfully, Hikaru wasn't hurting for money anymore. Plus, he'd received plenty of "sponsorships" from kind folks in the Fusion Army, giving him enough materials for experimentation.
Sadly, most of the resources had gone into manufacturing the Infernoids. Otherwise, he could've done even more tests.
In any case, after shipping in the prefabricated parts from the workshop, Hikaru assembled everything, slotted in the prepped energy cards, opened the Emerald Book, and input the coordinates Principal Crowler had given him.
Destination: The Critical Nexus Dimension.
According to the description, it was a borderless, ownerless zone formed after the Spirit World shattered. Neither entirely abandoned nor fully claimed, it acted as a junction for leftover territories and tribes.
Many factions roamed this place, some allied, some hostile.
KaibaCorp discovered this dimension early on and had long since established diplomatic ties with several of its tribes. Therefore, humans generally weren't in danger there.
So, with a little initiative and a bit of luck, it was possible to acquire unimaginable rewards from this dimension.
That was the principal's logic.
And honestly, it made sense.
To encourage students' ambition and courage to challenge the pro dueling circuit, Principal Crowler had organized a massive global tournament.
All Duel Academy branches, Main Campus, North Academy, North America Branch, South America Branch, Europe Branch, and even the Arctic Branch, would participate.
Thanks to dimensional travel, there was no need to gather everyone physically. Students would simply enter the dimension from different starting points and duel their way toward the championship.
And that wasn't all.
Crowler even invited pro duelists. The idea of dueling top players worldwide without enduring exhausting travel was wildly appealing.
In short, it was an absolute mega-event.
Even more insane than the original GX.
Unlike the original, where the principal couldn't possibly drag that many people to Academy Island, now he could throw them all into another dimension instead.
Credit where it's due, Principal Sheppard reaching out to Seto Kaiba, pro duelists, and old friends to set up prizes and schedules truly made him a "great principal."
Whether it all went smoothly or not... at least the intentions were good.
Hikaru shook his head.
He powered up the Dimensional Gate, ran safety checks, and even had Captain Crystal help with testing. Once everything was confirmed stable, he initiated the dimensional transfer.
His body gradually dematerialized into particles and vanished from this world.
Moments later, those particles reassembled in the middle of a barren wasteland.
Hikaru glanced around.
Desolate. Not a single living thing in sight.
He checked behind him. The green-ringed Return Gate spun quietly. Operational.
Good, but not enough.
He unpacked a second set of materials to build an extra Dimensional Gate somewhere hidden in this dimension as a backup route home.
As he worked, Tierra spoke. "Hikaru."
Hearing her, Hikaru opened the Emerald Book. A green rune flared on his body, and he blended seamlessly into the landscape. Unless someone looked closely, he was invisible.
He stepped aside and hid.
Soon, a group of strange-looking elves riding horses galloped past, dragging smaller, struggling sprites behind them.
As they ran, the riders jeered loudly.
"Your lord won't save you!"
The captive sprites cried, some in tears, some struggling, but a few shouted back defiantly.
"Our lord won't forgive you!"
"Hah! Your lord challenged the Dark Blade and must be dead by now. As for you..."
A black blur streaked in from the side, smashing one of the laughing elves clean off their mount.
"W-What...who!?" the fallen elf screamed.
Towering over him was an enormous black warhorse.
And atop it, a knight in golden visor armor glared down, eyes cold.
The elf scrambled back in terror as the knight swung off his mount.
The knight wore deep blue armor accented with black plates and golden trims. Crimson blades adorned key joints, exuding a killing aura. A massive black cloak billowed behind him.
With a subtle twirl of his lance, the knight's eyes flashed red. "Who told you to do this?"
His voice was cold, an order, not a question.
"M-My lord... y-you're alive!? How... how weren't you defeated by the Dark Blade?"
"Fools!" The knight spun his lance. "I am a spirit pursuing the ultimate fusion! I am the purest warrior! No filthy villain could defeat me!"
"D-Damn it..."
"Listen well!" The knight swept his lance toward the other terrified elves. "As long as I, Gaia the Fierce Knight, still stand, none shall oppress the weak!"
"I am the lord and protector of all lesser spirits. Anyone who dares commit such evil will meet the same fate as this fool!"
With that, he pulled a card from his wrist and flung it skyward.
It was a Dark World Warrior, Dark Blade!
"Dark Blade-sama!!!" the panicking elves scrambled to grab the card.
The surviving riders growled, freeing their captive sprites while glaring at Gaia.
The leader sneered. "Hah. Just a random spirit meddling in others' business. Don't think I forgot seeing you defeated by Lord Kreis and dumped in the river. This isn't over. In this land of Glorious Knights, only the voice of the Emperor matters. Any who oppose the Voice of Light... will perish!"
With that, the elves scooped up their fallen, snatched the Dark Blade card, and retreated.
Gaia exhaled. The rescued sprites swarmed him, cheering.
"Long live the Great Knight Lord!"
"Gaia forever!"
"Protector of the weak! A true knight!"
Gaia chuckled awkwardly but smiled warmly, finally relaxing.
But as he pondered... doubt crept in.
Kuraz the Light Monarch... Could he really defeat him?
His confidence wavered. Anxiety gnawed at him.
Then...
"Having trouble?"
A voice. Familiar. A voice he'd dreamed of hearing again.
He turned, stunned.
Before he could process it, two figures appeared, one clad in red, the other in black. They grinned, clapping him on the shoulder or jabbing him playfully.
"Flame Swordsman! Dark Flare Knight!?"
"Hahaha, long time no see, Loooord Gaia!" Flame Swordsman laughed.
"Looks like you've done well for yourself, Gaia." Dark Flare Knight chuckled.
Wide-eyed, Gaia stared.
'If it's these two... then..'
He turned toward the source of the voice. The two swordsmen fell respectfully silent.
The Duelist who pursued the ultimate fusion.
Their master.
Amaki Hikaru.
"It's been over a year since I left the Warriors' Realm. Long time no see, Gaia." Hikaru smiled.
There was no doubt.
This was the Gaia the Fierce Knight. Not a copy. Not another version.
The same Gaia who had once trained under the Chaos Warrior... the same Gaia who, after losing to Hikaru and failing to recognize his flaws, was punished by Chaos Warrior and forced to evolve.
And now... he seemed to have completed that trial. Though for some reason, he'd ended up in this dimension.
Gaia looked at the Duelist he was meant to follow. After a moment of stunned silence, in full view of the bewildered sprites, he strode forward, dropped to one knee, and bowed deeply before Hikaru.