"Worm Apocalypse, Worm Barses, Worm Cartaros, Worm Dimikles…"
"Worm Hope, Worm Illidan, Worm Jetelikpse…"
"Worm Linx…"
Each time the Worm King called out a name, Tierra's heart gave a jolt. By the time it finished reciting over twenty names, the Worm King drew in a deep breath, exhaled long, then swung its four arms and roared: "Worm Queen! Worm King! Worm Victory,"
"Fusion of 25 Worms!"
"Come forth, from the distant cosmos, the origin of us all!"
"Fusion Summon!"
"Level 10, Worm Zero!"
Rumble…
From the ground, countless Worms took flight, clustering together, then merged into a colossal, sun-like sphere of slime.
[Worm Zero] Level 10│LIGHT│Reptile│? ATK
"Worm Zero's Attack becomes the number of different Fusion Materials × 500."
Tierra's mouth slowly fell open as she watched the writhing "ball of bugs" grow larger and denser, until it loomed above like a true sun.
[Worm Zero, ATK: 12500]
"12,500 Attack!?" Tierra blinked rapidly, then stiffly lowered her head to glance at Hikaru Amaki, instinctively pointing upward, eyes filled with bewilderment.
Weren't these just weeds?
If Hikaru was right, these things were the alien weeds exterminated by her "Genex" planetary environmental machines, yet those weeds had something this terrifying?
A Fusion of all 25 archetype monsters!?
That was several times stronger than even that so-called Cyber End Dragon!
The Worm King slowly clenched its fists. Behind it, the tribe erupted in cheers at the sight of Worm Zero's appearance.
This was their clan's strongest and final bulwark,an ultimate Fusion card usable only when every member of their kind was present.
Though now pressed down to a tiny scrap of territory besieged on all sides, they had endured by relying on this supreme power.
"Worm Zero gains effects according to the number of different Fusion Materials used.
With 2 or more: Once per turn, Special Summon 1 Reptile from the Graveyard face-down."
It thrust out its hand toward the Graveyard: "Rise again, my brother,Worm Victory!"
Worm Zero projected a beam of light like a UFO transporter, reviving one Worm from the Graveyard to lurk silently on the field.
"With 4 or more: Once per turn, banish 1 Reptile from your Graveyard to send 1 monster on the field to the Graveyard."
It lifted a card from the Graveyard. "I banish Worm Hope."
Then it pointed at Piaty on Tierra's field.
Boom!!
Bathed in the light, the mighty fiend collapsed before it could act.
"With 6 or more: Once per turn, draw 1 card."
"Draw."
Tierra swallowed nervously.
Staring up at that massive creature, she couldn't help but feel tense.
She had a Set card; however, it wasn't a defensive one. If it could attack directly, would she be instantly wiped out,?
"Tierra."
She turned toward Hikaru.
"Don't worry. A monster Fusion Summoned with Future Fusion can't attack the first turn."
'!'
'Oh…'
'Right, right.'
She hastily wiped imaginary sweat from her brow.
She had nearly forgotten.
The sight of such a massive monster with such staggering Attack had completely overwhelmed her novice duelist nerves. Now that she remembered, relief washed over her.
In truth, Hikaru had already wanted to remind her earlier.
When Worm Zero sent Piaty to the Graveyard, she could have Tributed herself to banish another monster from the opponent's Graveyard.
Despite that, she hadn't reacted at all.
In Hikaru's eyes, Tierra's current state was odd.
"What's wrong?" he asked curiously.
What's wrong?
Tierra hesitated a moment at his question.
Dozens of possible answers flickered through her mind,until she found the source.
She flexed her right hand.
Indeed, her mindset was off.
She lifted her head, scanning her surroundings.
This dimension… wasn't her planet.
Yet… environmentally, it was a perfect 1:1 mirror of the world from which she had once arisen.
Eons had passed. She herself had long since become a Spirit, lost the chance of bodily resurrection, and could only persist alongside Hikaru as a Duel Spirit and monster god.
Her arrival here had filled her with too much excitement.
The world was no longer the one she knew.
Perhaps these Worms, in her lifetime, were just weeds she could have swept away with ease.
That said, even weeds, if their will was strong enough, could rival the divine.
That was the possibility Duel gave the weak.
Though… they were invaders, these ones weren't truly "invaders",merely historical phantoms left behind.
She tapped her temple lightly.
If she wished to become the god of these phantoms, she would have to play by their ways.
Duel. Belief.
Even the weakest race could field a 12,500-attack Fusion in a single turn. Truly, her world had been a garden of a thousand blooms…
But all the better.
The Worm King set a card face-down and declared the end of its turn.
"Then, at this moment, I activate a Continuous Trap,
Void Purification, activate."
A Trap card slowly flipped.
Void Purification.
"My turn, draw." Tierra drew.
"During the Standby Phase, Rekindling activates. I target 1 of my banished Infernoids and return it to the Graveyard."
"Antra,reborn."
Watching Tierra's move, the Worm King could roughly grasp the Infernoid Deck's flow and operations.
"I banish Antra from the Graveyard. I Special Summon Harmadik in Defense Position."
The black-winged fiend descended before Tierra.
[Infernoid Harmadik] Level 3│FIRE│Fiend│0 DEF
Tierra gauged her field carefully.
Honestly, she had to admit one thing.
At the start of this Duel, she had underestimated her opponent.
This was no mere "alien bug",it was a true Duel Spirit. Despite that, she hadn't taken it seriously.
Otherwise, with her oppressive power, she could have locked the Worm King out from ever summoning high-level monsters.
However…
It was precisely this misstep that had opened her eyes.
If Duels were only about raw power, wasn't that just like the Cosmic God?
She wasn't about to lose, rewind time, and make Hikaru laugh at her,or worse, cancel their partnership.
"Worms, you pool your strength, uniting only for survival. Thus, you see us as enemies, trespassers in your land, don't you?"
The Worm King hadn't expected her to still make conversation, but snapped back: "Of course. You appeared suddenly and challenge us,did you come for peace?"
"Foolish." Tierra's blue flame eyes burned softly. "I am the god,the Source of Destruction Goddess, the origin of this dimension. I care nothing for your current ecology.
"This human beside me is Hikaru Amaki, a Duelist pursuing ultimate Fusion."
"We ask nothing of you. We seek cooperation. Mutual growth."
She said, "If you truly fear war, if you truly desire peace, then join me in ruling this dimension. Together we'll defeat every other Spirit tribe,
It'll simply mean becoming the world's enemy once again."