NOVEL WEB Chapter 374: 374
The Duel was over.
At the exact moment Muddy Mudragon's Life Points hit zero, the entire cavern erupted in violent tremors.
Debris and stone spikes rained from above, and strange glowing patterns lit up across the floor. These markings encircled the area, gradually forming a symbol that radiated with a phosphorescent glow.
This, perhaps, was the true reason why Muddy Mudragon had never left.
Hikaru casually picked up Dragonecro Nethersoul Dragon from his Duel Disk. Dragonecro soared around the cavern, its skeletal wings now resembling the angelic feathers of a savior, devouring the lingering traces of dark energy clinging to the ground.
After a while, the runes on the floor faded completely. All was calm again.
Once again, a Duel Dragon had beaten down an Earthbound God.
Though it probably wasn't an actual Earthbound God this time.
"Oho! That was...?" Muddy Mudragon flew up to Hikaru, curious.
"It's a Duel Dragon from the S-Dimension," Hikaru replied, lifting the card in his hand. The ferocious-looking dragon in the card let out a small burp and chuckled in satisfaction.
"Duel Dragon?" The members of the Fusion Club exchanged puzzled looks. This was the first time they'd heard such a term.
"It's a unique concept from the S-Dimension. Basically, it's a dragon that embodies the essence of Dueling in their world,I think?" Hikaru didn't elaborate further. "They say it's the power of their Supreme God."
Supreme God...
The students stared in awe.
"The Crimson Dragon..." Muddy Mudragon murmured as it landed in front of Hikaru. It seemed to recall that strange sensation,clearly the power of the Crimson Dragon had touched it once more.
Seizing the moment, it began telling stories to Hikaru, the students, and the young spirits gathered nearby.
Many years ago, back when it was full of energy and curiosity.
At the time, the Spirit World was still whole, so traveling to various human dimensions was far easier than it is now.
Back then, in its pursuit of Fusion, it ventured into a strange new dimension.
Just as it had said earlier, in that world, humans didn't Duel standing still. They rode on horseback around a kind of altar to perform their rituals.
Later, it learned those humans weren't simply running around. They were Dueling along specific patterns etched into the land.
And then,that's when the Earthbound Gods appeared before it.
These were deities known as Earthbound Gods. They possessed dominion over life and death itself, capable of resurrecting the dead.
"Huh?" Tierra, standing to the side, couldn't help but interject.
One moment it runs into a cosmic god of destruction, the next it meets a deity that controls life and death?
"From what I understand, that's just a fraction of their power," Hikaru replied without turning, continuing the story.
Muddy Mudragon nodded and continued.
Yes.
That was merely one sliver of the Earthbound Gods' capabilities.
They could even manipulate time. However, their greatest power wasn't any supernatural force,it was their mastery over the origin of Synchro.
"..." Tierra had long given up trying to comment on such absurdity.
Time control, reviving the dead,clearly the more outrageous powers. Yet to humans and spirits, the power of Dueling would always come first.
"I was targeted by the Earthbound Gods. Just when I was about to become their prisoner, the Crimson Dragon appeared. Perhaps sensing my inner will, it bestowed upon me the power of Synchro," Muddy Mudragon said solemnly. "Otherwise, there's no way I could have escaped."
As a pure-blooded member of the Fusion lineage, obtaining Synchro power through training alone would have been impossible.
It lacked the time and opportunity for that.
It was only thanks to the Crimson Dragon's power that Muddy Mudragon was able to Synchro Summon at all,and that its race gained a new path for evolution.
"So, you're the first Synchro Monster of the Muddy lineage?" Dimitri caught the detail immediately.
Muddy Mudragon nodded.
"Whoa..." the students marveled.
Hikaru, on the other hand, wasn't too surprised.
He'd encountered similar cases before. Thunder Dragon Colossus, for instance, was the first Thunder Dragon of its kind.
They admired the Crimson Dragon's might and compassion, albeit in truth, this was merely a fraction of its divine power.
In the original, the Crimson Dragon was virtually omnipotent,capable of trivial feats like resurrection, time-stop, and spatial warping.
Its most fearsome ability? Time travel.
It could grant Yusei Fudo the power to traverse time, allowing him to leap decades or centuries into the past to rally allies and fight formidable foes.
Power that the "Future Group" had spent lifetimes pursuing was casually handed down by the Crimson Dragon. Just one god was enough.
"Even though I have now cast off the shadow that has long haunted me," Muddy Mudragon turned to Hikaru, "as long as I remain, one day you too will be targeted by the Earthbound Gods."
"That doesn't matter," Hikaru said, looking down at Dragonecro in his hand.
The moment he obtained Dragonecro, Hikaru knew he could never be free. He was already entangled in the Earthbound Gods' conflicts,it was only a matter of time.
Still, Hikaru would never abandon any companion on the path of Fusion.
In fact, the increasing appearances of Dragonecro in his Duels might be hinting that he truly was destined for the S-Dimension.
However,
That didn't mean he could just drop everything and leave now.
Critical Nexus wasn't in terrible shape, but it certainly wasn't secure either.
He didn't want to return from a Synchro World trip only to find this dimension under Supreme King rule, with Yubel playing house with Jaden.
"The bigger question is,what about you?" Hikaru pointed to the Baby Muddragons and other young spirits nearby. "Are you really planning to leave this place?"
"Hohoho,don't worry about that," Muddy Mudragon chuckled. "After all these years, the next leader was chosen long ago. Honestly, they're probably muttering to themselves, wondering why I haven't left yet."
"Teacher, don't say that!" From the crowd of spirits, a sturdy-looking Baby Muddragon,bearing a strong resemblance to Muddy Mudragon,raised its claw and called out.
Muddy Mudragon huddled into a corner, clearly long ready to go on an adventure. Hikaru beamed and shook its claw.
Though a Synchro Monster, it was still a Universal Fusion Material, available from the Extra Deck anytime, anywhere.
Even better, Hikaru's control over Super Polymerization had only grown stronger. He could now use it even during Proxy Duels against agents of the Light Force. So he no longer feared that his "universal material" would be fused into the wrong monster.
...
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