NOVEL WEB Chapter 214: Overthrow
"Damn it."
"I set one card and end my turn."
Professor Rox gritted his teeth, his usual refined expression now twisted.
The students didn't know what to say. Some were genuinely shaken by the scenario Rox painted, afraid of what it meant for Duel Academy to fall under Hikaru's "rule." Others insisted Hikaru wasn't like that at all.
Hikaru didn't even bother acknowledging Rox's framing. He cared only about Fusion, only about this Duel. Even so, of course, plenty of students couldn't see his real intentions.
"Should we... say something?" Alexis asked softly.
"Don't be ridiculous! Master only cares about Fusion! He'd never do any of that!" Celina snapped, jumping up in anger and nearly stepping on the table. She was ready to throw hands until Alexis, knowing her well, held her back before things escalated.
"Hikaru..." Jaden murmured. He understood better than anyone how dangerous rumors could be.
"No," Chazz muttered, shaking his head. "This is right. If he tried to explain, to prove himself, he'd fall into a trap. Then Rox could attack him from every angle. But Hikaru ignored it. He cares only about Fusion. Whether the Polymerization Club fuses or not. Nothing else matters to him.
"Even if there's infighting among students, it'll blow over eventually."
"Exactly," Atticus added seriously. "Hikaru is both rational and pure. If he responded or tried to argue, he'd be playing Rox's game, falling into the rhythm and becoming his 'slave.'"
Bastion nodded. They had all realized it. What Rox wanted wasn't an emperor.
He wanted... a slave.
Someone powerful, obedient, and gullible enough to believe his lies.
"My turn! Draw!" Hikaru drew and flipped a card. "Activate Normal Spell: Shaddoll Fusion!"
"Ohhh! Shaddolls? More of that dark power again?"
"Since you have a monster Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, I can use materials from my Deck! I send Shaddoll Hedgehog and Elemental HERO Burstinatrix to the Graveyard to Fusion Summon!
"Gem of the sky that resonates with allies,
"Now, absorb grudges, hatred, pain, and take on a new form before me!
"Fusion Summon!
"Level 7! El Shaddoll Grysta!"
As Hikaru called its name, red threads surged from all directions, weaving together like seraphic wings. A massive stone knight slowly rose beside him, towering like an ancient mythic titan.
[El Shaddoll Grysta] Level 7│FIRE│Rock│2450 ATK
"Whoa, that form!"
"Is that Crystal's new form? Wait, that's a Shaddoll too?"
"That must be one of Hikaru's new alchemic creations!"
"Graveyard effect of Shaddoll Hedgehog activates: When sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, add 1 Shaddoll monster from the Deck to hand! I add Shaddoll Falco."
Hikaru revealed the new lower-level Shaddoll, a new card Tierra had helped him craft after acquiring her second component.
"Battle! Grysta attacks!
"Primordial Downfall!"
Captain Crystal raised a massive fist and swung at the shadowy bird.
"Trap Card, activate: Defensive Tactics! If I control a face-up Gladiator Beast, my monsters can't be destroyed by battle this turn, and I take no battle damage! This card also returns to the bottom of the Deck instead of going to the Graveyard."
Rox activated his trap, displayed it briefly, then shuffled it into the bottom of his Deck.
"Also, at the end of the Battle Phase, Gladiator Beast Gyzarus returns to the Deck, and I Special Summon two different 'Gladiator Beasts'! I summon Gladiator Beast Tygerius and Gladiator Beast Murmillo!"
Gyzarus lazily flapped its wings and exited the field. Two new beasts rushed out to replace it.
Tygerius was a tiger wielding a longsword and mechanical wings, a truly fearsome sight. In card lore, he was effectively the Gladiator Beasts' mid-tier enforcer, responsible for managing the "slave" beasts.
Murmillo... was a fish.
[Gladiator Beast Tygerius] Level 4│EARTH│Beast│1800 ATK
[Gladiator Beast Murmillo] Level 3│WATER│Fish│800 ATK
"Murmillo's effect: When Special Summoned by a Gladiator Beast effect, target 1 face-up monster on the field and destroy it. I choose Grysta!"
"Tygerius's effect: When Special Summoned by a Gladiator Beast effect, discard 1 Gladiator Beast card to add 1 from Deck to hand! I discard Gladiator Beast Alexander and add Gladiator Beast Darius!"
Rox launched a flashy combo that overwhelmed most spectators, yet Hikaru stayed calm.
"At the moment Tygerius activates her effect, I respond with Quick-Play Spell: De-Fusion!
"I return Grysta to the Extra Deck and Special Summon the two monsters used to Fusion Summon it from the Graveyard!"
The two materials returned to the field.
"Heh. Escaped for now, but it doesn't matter." Rox grinned. "Next turn, I'll wipe them out again."
Hikaru showed his hand. "Equip Spell: Nephe Shaddoll Fusion. Equip only to a Shaddoll monster. Declare an Attribute; the equipped monster becomes that Attribute. It's not particularly useful... but I declare LIGHT."
The black, misty hedgehog suddenly erupted with blinding brilliance.
"An Equip Spell?" Rox raised a brow.
Hikaru continued:
"During my Main Phase, Nephe Shaddoll Fusion lets me send Fusion Materials from my hand or field to the Graveyard and Fusion Summon a Shaddoll Fusion Monster! Come forth once again, Grysta!"
The red-winged titan returned.
"Heh, so we're right back where we started," Rox scoffed. "I just need to summon Gyzarus again next turn."
"Whoa... I didn't know the Gladiator Beast deck could do all that," Bastion muttered, sweating.
The versions used by other students weren't nearly as complete or powerful. All those chains and resets made Rox look terrifyingly strong!
Hikaru glanced at his hand, then set one card.
"I set one card and end my turn."
"Heh heh heh... My turn! Draw!" Rox smiled darkly. "It's too late to back down now!"
"Normal Summon: Gladiator Beast Darius! I return Darius and Murmillo to the Deck to Special Summon... Gladiator Beast Gyzarus!"
The dark bird returned!
But this time;
"All that emperor and slave nonsense... this is just a Duel!" Hikaru snapped. "Grysta's monster effect! When my opponent Special Summons a monster: negate the summon and destroy it!"
"What!?"
"As cost, I send a Shaddoll monster from my hand to the Graveyard. I send Shaddoll Falco. And Falco's effect activates: It comes back face-down in Defense Position!"
Gyzarus was never even born. It was caught in crimson puppet strings and shattered before it landed.
"Tch." Rox cursed under his breath.
But then he looked at the card he just drew and grinned.
"Amagi Hikaru, your strength is unmatched. Nonetheless, you're still a student. You're no match for a TEACHER!
"I activate Spell Card, Test Fusion!"
'Test Fusion?'
Hikaru furrowed his brow.
'A card from Arc-V, maybe?'
"Send two 'Test Ape' monsters from my hand to the Graveyard to Special Summon a 'Gladiator Beast' monster from my Extra Deck, ignoring Summoning conditions!
"Don't think taking down Gyzarus means you've won!
"I send two Test Apes from hand to Graveyard and Special Summon Level 8, Gladiator Beast Heraklinos!"
A towering gladiator with shield and axe emerged in blazing flames.
[Gladiator Beast Heraklinos] Level 8│FIRE│Beast-Warrior│3000 ATK
"Its ATK is the same as Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
"It has such a terrifying presence!"
Students near the front could feel Heraklinos's oppressive aura, as if it looked down on all life.
"Battle! Heraklinos, Attack Grysta!"
[Hikaru, LP: 4000 → 3450]
"Grysta's effect: When sent to the Graveyard, add 1 'Shaddoll' Spell Card from Graveyard to hand. I retrieve Shaddoll Fusion."
"No matter! Murmillo attacks your face-down monster—"
"I activate my Set card: El Shaddoll Fusion! Fusion Summon using Shaddoll monsters from my hand or field!"
"Not so fast! Heraklinos' effect! Discard 1 card to negate and destroy your Spell or Trap! Burn, damn Fusion!"
"Heh, then negate it."
Murmillo's ATK was 800. Falco's DEF was 1400.
[Professor Rox, LP: 2900 → 2300]
But Rox had achieved what he wanted.
"End of Battle Phase: Murmillo's effect! Return to Deck, then Special Summon Gladiator Beast Hoplomus in Defense Position!"
[Gladiator Beast Hoplomus] Level 4│EARTH│Rock│2100 DEF
"When Special Summoned by a Gladiator Beast effect, Hoplomus's DEF becomes 2400!"
"Tch... End turn.
"S-so strong..." One student swallowed hard.
He was terrifying!
Even for non-Duelists, Rox's storm of destruction and recursive summons was impressive. If not for Grysta's negation effect, he could've looped Gyzarus repeatedly.
Rox could make mistake after mistake, but Hikaru had no room for even one.
With a deck that strong and piloting it so efficiently, no wonder Rox tried to manipulate Hikaru.
That said, in the face of crisis, how would Hikaru respond?
Students stared anxiously, trying to read his expression.
Yet…
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Hikaru calmly drew his next card.
"I told you. I want this Duel to be one that does Professor Crowler justice."
"Hah! Then now you understand the gap between STUDENTS and TEACHERS!"
"A gap? That doesn't matter to me," Hikaru muttered, gears turning. "I said last turn was my FIRST turn.
"So even though you took LP damage, up until Murmillo attacked, it was still a 4000 LP turn."
"Huh?"
"So."
Hikaru drew sharply. "This hand... will deal OVER 4000 damage!"
"WHAT!?"
"Can he really do that!?"
"Didn't he already use up so many cards!?"
"Does he even have enough Fusion options left!?"
"He does! Of course he does!" Celina's eyes lit up. She saw it coming!
"First: Spell Card, Shaddoll Fusion! I send Elemental HERO Avian from Deck and Shaddoll Falco on the field to Graveyard! Fusion Summon WIND El Shaddoll, Wendigo!"
[El Shaddoll Wendigo] Level 6│WIND│Psychic│2800 DEF
"A 2800 DEF monster? What's the point of that!?"
"Next: Spell Card, Dark Calling!"
"Dark Calling, Ah!"
Last turn, he sent a FIRE monster. This turn, he sent a WIND one.
"I banish Burstinatrix and Avian from the Graveyard to Fusion Summon 1 monster that requires 'Dark Fusion'! Come forth!"
"Level 6! Evil HERO Inferno Wing!"
Yes, an Evil HERO!
[Evil HERO Inferno Wing] Level 6│FIRE│Fiend│2100 ATK
"And finally, my last card. You've been watching me, Professor, so I'm sure you already know what it is."
"No way."
"Activate Equip Spell! Spirit Illusion!"
Rox's eyes flew open.
It was that card, the one Hikaru used to claim victory when he joined the Fusion Army!
"Equip only to a Level 5 or higher Fiend or Zombie Fusion Monster! If it attacks, the attacked monster's ATK is reduced by the equipped monster's original ATK!"
"And that's not all. Inferno Wing has a stronger effect than Flame Wingman!"
"When it destroys a monster by battle: inflict damage equal to the higher of its original ATK or DEF!"
Heraklinos had 3000 ATK!
So that meant... 1200 (from the reduction) + 3000 effect damage + 600 from Murmillo's earlier counter
Total = 4800!
More than 4000!
"Battle! Inferno Wing!!"
"Crush that pathetic so-called leader, that so-called emperor!"
The seductive devil grinned savagely, leapt forward, and drove her claws straight into Heraklinos' throat!
KA-BOOOM!
Winner: Amagi Hikaru!