"It's my turn!"
Ansiel drew, checked the card twice, and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Normal Summon — Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast!"
Two colossal cannon barrels rose from the ground. A crimson, tread-driven dragon chassis clanked up after them, a hulking Machine Dragon with turrets bristling along its frame loomed over the field.
With the new imaging rig, Fusilier Dragon looked enormous; some spectators even flinched as if they could touch the armor.
[Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast] — Level 7 | DARK | Machine | 2800 ATK / 2000 DEF.
"Huh? A Level 7 monster, Normal Summoned without Tributes!?"
"That shouldn't be possible, Level 7 monsters need two Tributes!"
The audience buzzed in shock.
Ansiel spread his arms like a stage magician. "Ladies and gentlemen! Witness the first act of tonight's magic show, the Great Mechanical Dragon Transformation! Fusilier Dragon can be Normal Summoned without Tributing!"
Gasps rippled through the stands.
"But if Summoned this way," Ansiel continued, raising one finger dramatically, "its original ATK and DEF are halved!"
Before everyone's eyes, Fusilier Dragon's imposing frame compressed, its cannons shrinking.
[Fusilier Dragon] — ATK 2800 → 1400
"Eh? Then what's the point of Summoning it like that?" someone muttered.
Ansiel's eyes glittered as if he'd been waiting for the line. "Good question! With only 1400 ATK, it shouldn't survive… but don't blink! The real trick is about to begin. I Set two cards and end my turn!"
"My turn." Hikaru drew calmly, ready to counter.
But before he could act;
"Hold it, Amagi Hikaru!" Ansiel shouted. "I pay 1000 Life Points to activate the Continuous Trap, Skill Drain!"
[Ansiel LP: 4000 → 3000]
The Trap depicting a dark underworld king flipped face-up. A wave of oppressive energy rolled out across the field. Fusilier Dragon's diminished body surged back to its full size, cannons glowing with power once more.
[Fusilier Dragon] — ATK 1400 → 2800
"What!? Its ATK went back up?"
"But Skill Drain negates monster effects, how!?"
Ansiel wagged his finger smugly. "Exactly. The 1400 ATK was an effect. With Skill Drain negating it, Fusilier Dragon reverts to its printed stats, 2800 ATK! Now the show can truly begin!"
Gasps of surprise rippled through the stands. Even some Duel Spirits began murmuring among themselves.
Unlike his earlier matches, Ansiel wasn't relying on low-Level monsters with surprisingly high ATK. This time, he went straight for an upper-Level monster. The intent was the same, but the impact felt entirely different.
"How about that, Student Amagi? Quite the magic trick, wasn't it?"
Hikaru chuckled. "I'll admit, it was a pretty flashy trick."
"Still laughing? Then what will you do with a hand like that?" Tierra, standing close by, frowned.
"Why didn't you draw Mystical Space Typhoon?" Tierra asked, frowning. In her mind, as long as Hikaru had backrow removal, he could simply destroy Skill Drain and continue the Duel smoothly.
But right now, Hikaru's hand was stacked almost entirely with Fusion support. How would he answer this situation?
"Heh… Watch closely. It's about time I showed you an advanced combo."
Tierra blinked, confused.
"I activate the Continuous Spell, Brilliant Fusion!"
A gleaming white gemstone descended, shimmering in the air in front of Hikaru.
"Oh, I know that one, it's a Fusion Spell that uses materials from the Deck," Ansiel said, narrowing his eyes.
"Gem-Knight…!" In the waiting hall, Jesse eyes lit up. He called excitedly to his Crystal Beasts, "Ruby, look, it's a Gem-Knight card!" Ruby leapt onto his shoulder, its jewel-like tail glittering as it gazed up at the hologram.
"Using Brilliant Fusion now?" Atticus tilted his head.
"As long as your opponent controls a monster, Brilliant Fusion lets you send Fusion Materials straight from your Deck to the Graveyard to Fusion Summon a Gem-Knight Fusion Monster. The drawback is that when Brilliant Fusion leaves the field, that monster is destroyed. Plus, after you activate this effect, you can only Special Summon Gem-Knights from the Extra Deck for the rest of the turn."
"The classic Gem-Knight restriction," Zane observed coolly.
"It seems Hikaru isn't planning to branch into multiple Fusion paths today," Alexis added, catching on to the strategy.
Hikaru spread his cards across the Duel Disk. "I send Gem-Knight Crystal and Gem-Knight Yellow Sapphire from my Deck to the Graveyard. Fusion Summon!"
A radiant silver-white knight burst forth, cape billowing as it descended gracefully from the light.
"Level 7—Gem-Knight Prismaura!"
[Gem-Knight Prismaura] — Level 7 | EARTH | Thunder | Fusion | ATK 2450
"Prismaura!"
"It's Gem-Knight!"
Students from the Fusion Department burst into cheers the moment the silver-armored warrior descended onto the field.
"Captain, you can do it!!!" Serena shouted from the stands, calling out to the knight who had become Hikaru's signature Fusion Monster.
Among Hikaru's Gem-Knights, Prismaura had appeared countless times, nearly as often as his Flame Swordsman variants. It was one of his earliest and most beloved Fusions, a card that had even inspired younger Fusion Department students to pick up Gem-Knights themselves.
Prismaura turned slightly, as if to acknowledge Serena's voice, when suddenly its body stiffened. A sinister aura washed across the field. Its knee buckled, the knight nearly collapsed before bracing itself with its spear. The radiant silver of its armor dulled to gray, its form flickering with instability.
"What is this…?" Prismaura whispered hoarsely.
Across the field, Ansiel's Trap Card glowed ominously.
Skill Drain!
"Not good…"
"Under Skill Drain, Prismaura's effect is negated!" one of the students exclaimed. "It can't use its destruction effect!"
Every spectator nodded. Prismaura's effect, to discard a "Gem-Knight" card and destroy a face-up card on the field, was useless here.
Ansiel smirked. "Exactly. All you've got left is a beatstick."
But Hikaru only smiled faintly.
"Normally, yes. But a Duel is decided in the details." He raised his hand sharply. "I discard Gem-Knight Fusion to activate Prismaura's effect, targeting Skill Drain!"
Gasps erupted.
"Impossible, Skill Drain cancels it out!"
"What is Hikaru doing!?"
Even Tierra, floating beside him, looked baffled. "Why would you activate an effect that's already negated?"
Hikaru's eyes glinted. "Watch carefully. One day, you'll need this technique yourselves. Chaining to Prismaura's effect, I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Fusion Release!"
Light flared. Prismaura's body shattered apart, reverting into Gem-Knight Crystal and Gem-Knight Yellow Sapphire.
But at the exact moment the Fusion Monster left the field, a golden shockwave burst forth. The energy of Prismaura's discarded effect surged unchecked, slamming directly into Ansiel's Trap.
Skill Drain cracked once… twice… and then...
BOOM!
The card shattered into fragments of light.
The audience leapt to their feet.
"Skill Drain was destroyed!?"
...
Bonus @400
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