BOOM... BOOM—THUD!
Hikaru Amagi shielded his eyes instinctively.
He and Chazz Princeton had been transported directly across dimensions. The moment they hit the ground, a blinding flash forced them to pause, squinting against the harsh light.
When Hikaru finally adjusted, he found himself standing inside an enormous hangar.
Calling it a hangar was almost an insult — it was a continent under a ceiling. Stretching farther than the eye could see, only when he craned his neck all the way back could he spot greenish walls glowing faintly in the distance.
WOOOOM, WOOOOM—
Red lights flashed across the hangar; alarms buzzed everywhere.
Slade Princeton groaned, rubbing his head, dragging himself out of the transport pod. As a normal human without a Duel Spirit connection, interdimensional travel had him nauseous and ready to vomit.
On Duel Academy's side, the broadcast team following Slade started setting up their cameras, sending live footage back to the main campus.
"They're here, they're here!"
"Go, Chazz! Crush it!"
"Wait, do we really wanna root for him? He is the Princeton Group's third son. If he wins, he basically becomes one of the Academy's owners..."
"Don't talk crap!" Jaden Yuki barked instantly, overhearing.
"This is Chazz Princeton we're talking about!"
"And besides," Bastion Misawa added, arms folded, "there's no way anyone here would agree to some dumb 'entertainment duelist' nonsense."
The students around them nodded firmly.
They might joke around, but everybody here respected what it meant to duel for yourself — not for a family's power games.
While the crowd buzzed, Zane Truesdale's face suddenly hardened.
"Trouble."
WHIRRRRR—
WHIRRRRR—
Lights flashed overhead.
Around the hangar, massive cylinders embedded into the walls began to descend like elevators. Giant containers slammed onto the ground, each one labeled in huge, bold letters: X, A, Z — each symbol colored differently.
Before anyone could even guess what it meant, the containers burst open with deafening bangs.
Out marched battalions of mechanical monsters:
A blue war machine, loaded with twin cannons — X-Head Cannon.
A crimson mechanical dragon spitting electrical sparks — Y-Dragon Head.
A treads-clanking, one-eyed machine tearing across the ground — Z-Metal Tank.
And not just one — multiple units of X-Head Cannons, rows of mechanical dragons, dozens of tanks — the whole place came alive, all turning to face the humans like laser sights locking on prey.
"It's the XYZ Series," Chazz grinned, his heart lightening a little. "Perfect — these are the monsters Master once taught me about... Hey, guys!"
He waved cheerfully, stepping forward.
The nearest X-Head Cannon's eyes flashed red with a sharp buzz — its twin barrels pivoting straight toward Chazz, humming with gathering energy.
"Intruders detected!"
"Intruders detected!"
"Attempting communication... Communication failed!"
"Eliminate intruders!"
"Watch out!" Hikaru shouted.
"Leave it to me!"
With a burst of dazzling energy, the Captain of the Crystal Beasts materialized — a diamond-armored knight who immediately threw up a massive white crystal shield just in time to block the incoming artillery barrage.
"Whoa!"
"That's bad!"
"They're hostile toward outsiders!"
At Duel Academy, Jaden and the others were freaking out.
"Light and Darkness Dragon!" Chazz roared, summoning a colossal dragon cloaked in swirls of blinding radiance and choking darkness. It shot high into the air, unleashing waves of soothing light across the battlefield.
The robots instantly aimed every cannon at the dragon, a tense standoff sparking in midair.
"Wait, X-Head Cannon! We're not enemies!" Chazz shouted.
"We're travelers from another dimension!"
He poured his will into the words. Sensing his intention, Light and Darkness Dragon dialed down its brightness, projecting a softer, more peaceful glow.
The warm aura rippled outward — reaching the machines.
Slowly, their optics flickered.
The whirring softened.
Clicks and electric murmurs filled the air.
"Reassessing... Reassessing..."
"Human signatures differ from prior threats."
One of the machines — gliding forward on hidden wheels — stopped in front of them, blinking its scanners over Hikaru and Chazz.
"Intruders. State your intentions."
Chazz let out a long, shaky breath.
Having a dozen robotic cannons aimed at you — way too much pressure.
Meanwhile, Slade Princeton looked like he was about to pass out.
Until now, he'd never personally experienced an alternate dimension. Watching his little brother dive into dimensional travel made it seem simple.
Now? Not so much.
The second they arrived, the otherworld immediately welcomed them with war machines locked and loaded.
So this is what dimensional exploration really is...!?
Is this what Chazz deals with every time he goes off to some new world!?
Chazz motioned his dragon to retreat and stepped forward, standing tall before the X-Head Cannon.
"I am a duelist from another world," Chazz said clearly, bowing slightly.
"I request to be recognized by the spirits of this dimension."
BEEP. BEEP.
"Another world's warrior?"
The X-Head Cannon buzzed, exchanging data with the others.
Finally, it gave a single nod.
"Accepted. Human warrior recognized."
Chazz clenched his fists tightly, bursting with pride.
This is it!
This is the spirit Master Banner passed on to me!
Across the room, Slade snapped out of his daze, immediately shouting:
"Chazz! Don't forget the rules — no monsters over 500 attack points! Light and Darkness Dragon is way too powerful — you can't use it!"
He didn't understand duel strategy well, but even he could tell that dragon was strong enough to blast through everything here.
Letting it fight would break the terms of the challenge.
"I know!" Chazz barked back. "I know the deal!"
"Only monsters under 500 attack points?"
The X-Head Cannon whirred with slight disdain.
"Limiting yourself in ritual combat... Insulting... Declaring enmity..."
"No, X-Head Cannon!" Chazz yelled desperately.
"I'm honoring the duel by accepting my brother's challenge!
A real duelist faces any restriction — and wins anyway!"
"I'm going to beat you — with monsters all under 500 Attack Points — and earn your recognition the hard way!"
The machine whirred.
And then... the surrounding mechanical army began retracting their weapons, sliding silently aside, leaving Chazz face-to-face with the lone X-Head Cannon.
"Quick, lights! Cameras! Get this recorded!" Slade shouted at his crew.
Chazz shot a glance at Hikaru — the message crystal-clear.
Time to move.
Before the global broadcast really started, Hikaru needed to slip away.
Hikaru nodded, quietly slipping off toward the other parts of the dimension.
"Wait, weren't you supposed to be Chazz's backup?" someone called.
"Yeah," Hikaru lied smoothly, "Lightning asked me to gather some other cards too."
"You better not get cocky!" Slade growled. "I only authorized one helper! Don't get greedy!"
"Hmph. A duelist always pushes forward!" Chazz barked back, firm as a stone wall.
"Bring it on — let's duel!"
"Don't worry about me, Hikaru!" he shouted after him. "I'm not going to lose!"
Hikaru didn't answer — he was already gone.
Right now, what Chazz needed wasn't help — it was faith.
Hikaru's heart pounded with excitement.
Until now, everything had been reactive — surviving, dodging, studying.
This time?
He was striking first.
He'd seen it — the way the robots hesitated, wary of outsiders.
Something had attacked them before.
And they mentioned it — "different from before."
Which meant only one thing:
Someone else had been here.
He whispered under his breath.
"Heh heh heh... finally remembering you need my help, huh?"
Tiara — the rogue spirit — materialized beside him, twirling her staff lazily, puppeteer strings whirling in the air. A single, shimmering line snapped tight before Hikaru's eyes.
"I can feel it... The Sacred Beasts' scent is thick here," Tiara giggled.
"They have been here."
Perfect.
The ones who kept bullying, mocking, sabotaging him back home — today he would hunt them first.
Today, Hikaru Amagi would show the world what fusion really meant.