After the Duel ended, Amagi Hikaru waved to the audience, and cheers erupted from every direction.
"So strong," Chen Lue, the Vision HERO Duelist, walked over from the other side, rubbing the back of his head. He muttered, "If Masked Hero can transform any HERO Fusion Monster, then theoretically even Adoration could change into a Masked HERO, right?"
Although Hikaru had just used Form Change, Chen Lue heard the words and guessed there must be other ways to transform.
Hikaru turned with a smile and extended his hand. "Your Vision HEROs are powerful too, they can call forth any HERO. I'm sure even Aster Phoenix and Jaden would be very interested in them."
"Aster and Jaden? Oh, those two, right?" Chen Lue had been in the Nexus Dimension for long enough to recognize their names. As soon as they were mentioned, curiosity flashed in his eyes. "Why haven't I seen them?"
As a fellow HERO user, he wanted to meet those two Duelists. After all, Hikaru wasn't a pure HERO specialist, but a dedicated Fusionist.
"They're both busy," Hikaru replied without elaborating.
Chen Lue sensed that pushing further would be pointless. He simply nodded, then pulled out a card and studied Vision HERO Adoration. His expression shifted, as though he was receiving some unseen message.
"Actually, the Vision HEROs are already present in this Dimension," he said, then looked up at Hikaru. "And not just them. Many other Spirits have also come. After all, Nexus Dimension connects to every Spirit World. From here, you can reach any Spirit Dimension. Naturally, many Spirits curious about human Duelists have crossed over."
"Oh?" Hikaru raised an eyebrow.
'Did that mean there were far more Spirits here than anyone realized? Perhaps,' he thought.
He glanced at a nearby camera, the same one he had felt "watching" him during the Duel.
Noticing this, Chen Lue chuckled. "That's right. Just as you sensed, other Spirits, even other Vision HEROs, have been observing you. And their impression of you seems very favorable."
"That's truly wonderful," Hikaru said warmly. He waved toward the camera, though this time, it gave no visible reaction.
Chen Lue laughed again. Vision HEROs were reclusive by nature. If noticed, they would simply shift to another vantage point. But their retreat only proved how highly they regarded Hikaru.
After exchanging farewells, Chen Lue walked off in another direction, while Hikaru returned to the preparation hall.
When Hikaru arrived, his friends were already gathered, congratulating him on his victory. Meanwhile, the next stage of the tournament was beginning.
A total of 37 Duelists had collected all 8 stamps. The first round of Duels took several days, reducing the number of competitors to 18, excluding one Duelist who advanced by receiving a bye.
But instead of immediately proceeding to round two, the organizers announced the Revival Round.
Eighteen Duelists would face off, with 9 winners being re-promoted. These players would then re-enter the competition, battling through two more rounds until only 7 remained for the Grand Finals. After that, one more competitor would be revived from among the eliminated players, dueling against the bye-round Duelist to complete the final bracket.
And then… the true Top 8 would be set.
Because the number of participants was odd, organizing the schedule was a little troublesome.
Still, thanks to this setup, the Duelists who had won their first-round matches now enjoyed a decent break. They could either rest or take the chance to gather intel on their next opponents.
"Attention, all Duelists. For the second round, the gashapon machine will no longer be used for random pairings. Instead, a fixed match-up table will be displayed. Please check your assigned opponents."
A KaibaCorp staff member wheeled out a sleek projection console. With a whirr, the device lit up and cast a large holographic bracket in the center of the hall.
This time, instead of just numbers, the Duelists' names were clearly listed. There were even special placeholders for "Winner of Revival Match No. 1," showing exactly where the Revival Duelists would slot into the bracket.
"I'm matched against the third revival winner?" Bastion studied the chart, his finger tracing the line to his name. After thinking a moment, he nodded. "Makes sense. This way, the winners' bracket gets the advantage. We already know who the loser's bracket survivor will be, so we can prepare strategies in advance."
"I thought the winner's bracket was just filler," Atticus said with a laugh.
He wasn't wrong, but for Atticus, the important thing wasn't his immediate opponent, it was what came after. If his math was right, winning this round meant his next match would almost certainly be against Zane. And Atticus couldn't imagine the current Zane losing to any Professional Duelist.
"What a shame we didn't meet in the first round."
The voice came from behind Hikaru. Turning, he saw a girl with long golden hair and wine-red eyes. Tall black boots, white gloves, and a commanding stance gave her an aura of sharp elegance.
It was Gloria Tyler.
Her sister had chosen not to enter the finals, saying she disliked one-on-one Duels, so Gloria was the only one competing. Her sibling, of course, was in the stands, cheering her on.
According to Misawa, the sisters had spent over a month honing their skills and had even earned the recognition of the legendary Amazoness Queen herself, allowing them to wield the powerful [Amazoness Empress]. Their target was clear, defeating Hikaru.
Hikaru raised an eyebrow as his eyes settled on Gloria's name in the bracket.
On the holographic bracket, their names sat at opposite extremes, Gloria Tyler's on the far left, Amagi Hikaru's on the far right.
"It's good to be confident," Hikaru said, raising an eyebrow. He gestured toward a figure nearby. "But your opponent is Chazz. He's no pushover."
At the mention, Chazz turned from the bracket and, noticing Hikaru's gesture, gave a casual wave.
Gloria followed his gaze. Her confident smile didn't waver. "Hmph. Chazz, right? Kaiba's protégé, one of the senior Duelists in the Fusion Department. But the last time he dueled alongside you, he was just a supporting role."
Her eyes hardened. "I will win."
Hikaru leaned back slightly, surprised by her certainty. For a moment, he hesitated, then decided their rapport was good enough for some honesty.
"Gloria," he said with a faint smile, "do you know? Ever since I enrolled at Duel Academy, every single person who's said 'I will win' against me… has lost."
"What? Is that supposed to be some kind of superstition?" Gloria asked, raising a brow. She waved off the remark with a light flick of her hand. "Either way, I'll see you in the finals."
With that, she turned and walked off, her boots clicking confidently against the marble floor.
What could Hikaru say to that? He exhaled softly, wishing her good luck.
But his own concerns pressed back in.
Because his opponent in the next round was none other than Duelist No. 31, Ansiel, wielder of Skill Drain.